Crypto news: The total crypto market cap topped $4 trillion for the first time, driven by booming stablecoin usage – roughly $46 trillion in on-chain stablecoin volume last year, up 106% year-over-year.
This data underscores crypto’s maturation: many traders and investors are now regular on-chain users, and fresh trends have emerged that should excite or worry crypto news followers.
According to market expert, Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto team, 2025 was a milestone year. Here’s what his crypto news report highlights.
Public “digital asset treasury” (DAT) companies – firms holding crypto on their balance sheets – have locked up a significant share of supply.
A16z finds that DATs alone hold about 4% of all Bitcoin and Ethereum in circulation, and when combined with crypto ETPs (exchanged-traded products), this rises to about 10% of each token’s supply.
Because Ethereum’s net issuance is near zero (its circulating supply grew only 0.1% QoQ by mid-2025), that same 10% reservation tightens ETH’s supply far more than Bitcoin’s.
In effect, analysts call this a “treasury effect” favoring ETH: with far fewer new ETH entering the market, each coin parked in DATs amplifies scarcity on Ethereum more than it does on Bitcoin.
A16z’s geographic analysis shows Australia at the top of the charts for crypto interest per capita.
By measuring web traffic to major token pages (excluding bitcoin and stablecoins), A16z found Australians generated 74.63% token-related visits per 1 billion people – by far the world’s highest rate.
South Korea was second (73.48%) and the UK third (62.15%). In contrast, the US – a much larger country – had just 40.73%.
Crucially, A16z notes that developed markets like Australia and Korea tend to focus on trading and speculation, whereas users in emerging regions skew toward on-chain transactions and payments.
Coinbase’s Layer-2 network Base is rapidly gaining developer momentum. In late July 2025 Base set a record number of new token launches, for the first time surpassing Solana.
On July 27 alone, Base recorded 54,341 new tokens created, more than double Solana’s 25,460 that day.
This dramatic surge coincided with a major “socialFi” campaign by Zora on Base, but it also signals a broader shift: builders are increasingly deploying on Base for its low fees and Coinbase’s backing.
Stablecoins are behaving more like payment systems than trading tools. Adjusted stablecoin transaction volume exploded to a new record high – about $1.25 trillion in September 2025 alone.
Crucially, this spike was almost entirely uncorrelated with overall crypto market trading volume.
In other words, even as crypto prices and exchange volumes zigged and zagged, stablecoin flows kept rising in a straight line.
A16z interprets this as evidence of product-market fit: people are using stablecoins for payments and remittances, not just to hedge volatility.
Crypto news outlets note this trend as “stablecoins finding their place” – essentially turning blockchains into dollar payment rails. At this level, stablecoins already rival PayPal or Visa in scale.
Finally, NFTs have quietly rebounded in 2025. Total NFT sales volumes remain well below their 2021 peak, but the number of active collectors is now at multi-year highs.
A16z’s report notes that monthly active NFT buyers have been growing – suggesting consumer interest has returned.
Crypto news observers have dubbed this a shift from “speculating” to “collecting”: buyers are snapping up NFTs for utility or fandom, not just flipping for quick profits.
data suggest a healthier NFT ecosystem. Instead of a wild price bubble, 2025’s NFT cycle is led by genuine collectors and brand partnerships.
Major projects (CryptoPunks, Bored Apes, etc.) and big brands are re-engaging on-chain, buoying confidence.
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