Both leading networks report record growth in revenue, assets, and trading activity as competition intensifies
The year 2025 marked a turning point for the blockchain industry, with Ethereum and Solana posting strong gains across revenue, network usage, and asset activity. Annual retrospectives released at the start of 2026 show both ecosystems positioning themselves as core infrastructure for consumer and institutional adoption.
Solana reached new all-time highs in total application revenue, active wallets, decentralized exchange (DEX) volume, and stablecoin usage. Applications on Solana generated $2.39 billion in revenue, a 46% year-over-year increase, while total stablecoin supply on the network doubled to $14.8 billion, supporting $11.7 trillion in transfers.
Ethereum Foundation wrote on X;
Ethereum continued to dominate in decentralized finance (DeFi), ending the year with over $99 billion in total value locked, more than nine times larger than any other Layer 1 ecosystem. It also led prediction markets, processing nearly $20 billion in betting volume across its base layer and Layer 2 networks.
Solana recorded $1.4 billion in REV, a metric reflecting value generated from user activity, while Ethereum’s comparable figure stood near $690 million. Both networks reduced costs, with Solana’s average transaction fee falling to $0.017, and Ethereum achieving sub-cent fees on Layer 2s.
Major Ethereum upgrades in 2025 improved scalability and user experience, setting the stage for mobile-native, consumer-ready blockchain applications in 2026.
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This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.