Crypto Usage Setting Records Amid Regulatory Uncertainty, A16z Says in Report

The report highlights a dramatic increase in blockchain activity, with 220 million addresses interacting with the technology at least once in September, triple the number in late 2023.

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has released its annual “State of Crypto” report, highlighting a dramatic increase in blockchain activity and record levels of crypto usage.

According to the report, 220 million addresses interacted with blockchain technology at least once in September, which is three times the number reported in late 2023. This surge in activity is largely attributed to the broader adoption of stablecoins.

"Stablecoins have reached a whole new level of product-market fit," Eddy Lazzarin, a16z's chief technology officer, told CoinDesk in an interview. "Stablecoin issuance, stablecoin transfers and use are off the charts on all levels."

A16z, known for its early investments in companies like Facebook and Airbnb, has also become a major player in the crypto industry, with investments in platforms such as Coinbase, Uniswap and Solana.

However, the report also raises concerns about the lack of clear crypto regulations in the U.S. and abroad, which has contributed to the rise of speculative memecoins.

"The irony is that it's actually a little more obvious how one ought to release a legal, fair memecoin than it is to launch a legal network token," Lazzarin said, referring to a token that represents a decentralized network and is essential to its operation.

A16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz recently announced their support for Donald Trump in the 2024 election, citing his promise to "end the unlawful and un-American crypto crackdown" as a key factor in their decision.

However, following Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race, Horowitz made personal donations to Kamala Harris's campaign, highlighting the shifting dynamics of the political landscape.

U.S. regulatory uncertainty has been a recurring theme in past a16z reports, and this year's edition emphasizes crypto's growing presence in political discussions, especially in swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The report suggests promising "bipartisan" efforts to advance regulatory clarity in the U.S.

The report also notes that key technical advances in blockchain technology have drastically reduced the cost of sending transactions, particularly for stablecoins.

"It costs less than a penny to send USDC on base, and that has been a sustainable pattern despite increasing use," Lazzarin told CoinDesk, referring to Ethereum's EIP-4844 upgrade, which enabled the development of cheaper 'layer-2' blockchains like Base network.

"More modern blockchains" like Sui and Solana "have led to a 99% drop in the cost to send U.S. dollars in the form of a stablecoin internationally," Lazzarin added.

In addition to the written report, a16z has also released a companion "Crypto Index" data visualizer. While certain key metrics like "active developers" and "interested developers" have seen a decline, the overall composite "state of crypto index" score ranks near an all-time high.

This story was generated by an artificial intelligence assistant and reviewed by a CoinDesk editor.