In 2025, Binance faced relentless scrutiny, from court cases to regulatory challenges.
Yet, on‑chain data reveals a different picture. According to new metrics from CryptoRank and TokenTerminal, BNB Chain has emerged as the most widely used blockchain this year, boasting the highest average daily active wallets across the industry.
This is a surprising twist, as even as critics pointed to the chain’s centralized structure and ongoing legal issues, real users continued to flock to it.
While Ethereum [ETH] remains favored by institutions, Solana [SOL] is known for its high speed.
However, Binance [BNB] Chain has quietly captured the most retail activity, demonstrating that for everyday users, low fees and easy onboarding matter more than regulatory headlines.
The numbers make the picture even clearer.
Solana posted a strong 3.23 million daily wallets, and NEAR wasn’t far behind with 3.15 million, but both were still well below BNB Chain’s massive 4.32 million daily average.
This isn’t a small lead; it shows that BNB Chain is pulling ahead with a user base that stays active even when the market is shaky.
Needless to say, the crypto community quickly took note, with Changpeng Zhao (CZ) also celebrating the milestone on X, echoing his long-standing message,
“Keep building. 2026 will awesome!”
However, while BNB Chain continues to capture the attention of regular crypto users, the larger financial side of the industry reached a major turning point in 2025.
The CoinGlass 2025 Crypto Derivatives Market Annual Report reveals that crypto derivatives have evolved significantly beyond their previous reputation as a venue for high-risk, high-leverage bets.
The market has expanded into an $85.70 trillion ecosystem, with $264.5 billion traded daily.
A major shift is unfolding in Chicago, where traditional finance and crypto are converging. The CME Group, renowned for its regulated Futures markets, has extended its lead over Binance in Bitcoin Futures and is rapidly closing the gap in Ethereum futures.
This trend signals that institutional investors are no longer testing the waters; they are actively shaping the market.
Meanwhile, crypto‑native exchanges like OKX, Bybit, and Bitget remain strong thanks to deep liquidity and regional dominance.
All this comes at a time when BNB rose to $843.27, at press time, gaining 0.55% during a period when many other assets were struggling to move.
But the biggest signal for BNB’s future didn’t come from price action; it came from corporate leadership. Recently, in a major decision, Binance appointed co-founder Yi He as Co-CEO, joining Richard Teng at the top.
This marks a shift away from Binance’s old “grow at any cost” strategy and toward a more stable, compliance-focused approach.
Yi He, known for her strong focus on users, is now helping lead the company into a more mature phase.
All these combined efforts show that Binance is preparing for a regulated and professional future, not just trying to stay ahead in the race.
