Cryptocurrency markets closed 2025 with declining prices while usage metrics surged to record highs.
Summary
- Ethereum and crypto-related equities fell in late 2025 even as transaction volumes, stablecoin usage, tokenized assets and protocol revenues hit record highs, according to Bitwise and Arkham data.
- Networks like Tron and Uniswap posted surging volumes, revenues and market share while native token prices remained flat, highlighting a growing gap between adoption and valuations.
- Bitwise compares current conditions to early 2023, noting improving fundamentals and supply constraints that could support a 2026 rally, though price convergence may take several quarters.
Ethereum’s price fell during the fourth quarter of 2025 even as transaction volumes reached new peaks, Bitwise reported. The firm’s Chief Investment Officer, Matt Hougan, stated that similar disconnects have occurred at previous market inflection points, with prices often bottoming when participant interest wanes while adoption increases.
Crypto-related equities declined in 2025 while industry revenues grew faster than most other sectors, according to Bitwise’s analysis. The research documented price declines alongside surges in transaction volume and tokenized real-world assets reaching all-time highs.
The stablecoin market expanded in October 2025, with daily average transaction volume reaching record levels, according to Arkham Research.
Crypto markets show widening gap between usage and prices
On-chain activity and revenues are climbing even as token values remain subdued.
Messari data show the Tron network processed trillions of dollars in stablecoin transactions in 2025 and captured a large share of global retail transfers under $1,000, while posting record revenue in the third quarter. Despite that growth, Tron’s native token traded largely flat throughout the year.
Decentralized exchanges continued to gain ground on centralized platforms, with daily DEX volume surpassing major centralized exchanges in mid-2025. Uniswap dominated the sector, processing billions of dollars daily, amassing significant total value locked after the launch of Uniswap v4, and generating nearly $1 billion in fees year-to-date through October. Coinbase has since integrated DEX trading into its app, routing orders through aggregators that tap Uniswap liquidity.
Bitwise compared the current backdrop to early 2023, when strong fundamentals preceded a multi-year rally, noting that prices remain under pressure even as stablecoin usage, network revenues and infrastructure investment grow. Ethereum traded near its long-term average and well below its peak in late 2025, with analysts saying supply constraints and network expansion could support a rally in 2026 — though the timing of any price catch-up remains uncertain.
