State of Crypto 2024: all-time highs, stablecoins fit, swing states, more
Our latest State of Crypto report
The world looked a lot different when we published our first annual State of Crypto report two years ago: Crypto wasn’t high on policymakers’ agendas. Bitcoin and ether exchange-traded products (ETPs) weren’t SEC-approved. Ethereum hadn’t switched to proof-of-stake. L2 networks were largely inactive — and the transactions that did occur on them cost much more than they do today, making crypto less accessible to more applications.
But times have changed. Our latest State of Crypto report covers crypto’s rise as a hot policy topic, recent tech improvements to blockchain networks, and trends across builders and users. More specifically, the report:
digs into key applications like stablecoins — one of crypto’s “killer apps”;
explores the intersection of crypto and other tech trends like AI, social networks, and games;
shares trends on crypto interest in swing states ahead of the U.S. election;
reveals all-time highs in crypto activity;
shows maturing blockchain infrastructure, from L2s (and their impact on transaction costs) to continuing breakthroughs in zero-knowledge proofs.
check out the report + 7 key takeaways here
Introducing the interactive “Builder Energy” dashboard: Where do builders spend their time?
Each year, we try to evolve the State of Crypto analysis by adding new tools and views: Last year, we released an interactive index with key innovation and adoption indicators; this year, we’re introducing the a16z crypto Builder Energy dashboard.
For the first time ever, we’re sharing proprietary data based on our unique view of the crypto landscape — and are sharing the blockchains, technologies, categories, and geographies where builders are focusing their efforts (aka “builder energy”). The dashboard incorporates thousands of data points — aggregated and anonymized — drawn from investment team research, our CSX startup accelerator program, and other industry-wide tracking.
Which blockchains and technologies are people building on/ with? What types of applications are people developing? Where are all the builders based? Explore all this, and more, here.
…more resources on the State of Crypto:
📊 read about our methodology for sizing up the crypto market/ estimating the number of real crypto users
🎧 listen to our latest web3 with a16z podcast episode on the report
📺 watch a guided tour of the report (with a16z crypto lead data scientist Daren Matsuoka)
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-- a16z crypto editorial & engineering teams
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