2025 Is the Year ‘Crypto Went Mainstream’: A16z

Why It Matters

a16z argues these trends position crypto and stablecoins to integrate with legacy finance, unlock fee revenue, and expand global payments and financial access.

Summary

Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z Crypto declares 2025 the year crypto ‘went mainstream,’ citing a total market value above $4 trillion, mobile wallet users up 20%, an estimated 40–70 million active users (roughly +10 million year‑over‑year), and on‑chain holdings rising to $175 billion (up 169%). Stablecoins processed about $46 trillion in transactions and have a $308 billion market cap, with Tether at $183 billion, while networks now handle over 3,400 TPS and Solana posts $13 billion TVL. The report credits clearer U.S. regulation (CLARITY and GENIUS Acts) and broad institutional adoption by firms like Visa, JPMorgan, Fidelity, BlackRock, PayPal and Stripe for accelerating product offerings and ETP inflows. a16z argues these trends position crypto and stablecoins to integrate with legacy finance, unlock fee revenue, and expand global payments and financial access.