Even with stablecoins rising and fintech giants leaping in, crypto funds stay a secondary use. The 2025 State of Onchain UX report reveals what retains this utility from going mainstream.
How customers really use crypto
As crypto strikes additional into on a regular basis use, the expertise of interacting with on-chain instruments is turning into simply as necessary because the instruments themselves.
The 2025 State of Onchain UX report, revealed by Reown with assist from Nansen AI, takes an in depth take a look at how persons are really utilizing wallets, apps, and on-chain companies, and what that have seems like immediately.
The report attracts on information from 1,038 energetic crypto customers within the U.S. and U.Okay., surveyed between Feb. 19 and 26. Greater than half of the individuals (51%) had been from the U.S., and the remainder from the U.Okay.
A slight majority had been males (59%), and most respondents fell within the 18 to 34 age group, with smaller however constant illustration from older age brackets. Solely 17% thought-about themselves newbies, whereas 43% had greater than two years of energetic crypto expertise.
Contributors additionally recognized the methods they used crypto, with the most typical classes together with merchants (56%), DeFi customers (45%), and people utilizing crypto for real-world funds or transactions (47%).
Along with survey information, the report incorporates infrastructure utilization from Reown and WalletConnect, in addition to wallet-level transaction evaluation from Nansen.
Let’s discover these findings in depth, to grasp the place customers are immediately, what they want subsequent, and the way builders, platforms, and infrastructure suppliers may higher assist the rising number of on-chain individuals.
Multi-wallet use is the brand new norm
For many customers, the wallet is their first level of contact with the on-chain world. It’s how folks retailer belongings, entry apps, signal transactions, and handle id.
The 2025 report reveals that pockets adoption is rising steadily throughout areas. Europe recorded the best price of recent pockets creation final 12 months, whereas Asia led in precise pockets connection progress.
As compared, exercise in North and South America remained low, largely on account of continued regulatory uncertainty in international locations just like the U.S.
Use of a number of wallets has elevated. At the moment, 62% of individuals depend on two or extra wallets. The most typical causes are entry to totally different chains (48%) and safety issues (44%), each of which have risen for the reason that earlier 12 months.
Amongst customers with greater than two years of crypto expertise, over half reported utilizing exchange-linked wallets akin to Binance and Coinbase.
Belief Pockets, MetaMask, and Phantom additionally ranked excessive, suggesting that customers with deeper publicity to on-chain instruments have a tendency to stay with manufacturers they know properly.
Cell wallets stay probably the most most popular possibility, with greater than half of customers figuring out them as their main interface. Nevertheless, this choice has seen a slight decline in comparison with final 12 months.
{Hardware} wallets, as soon as restricted in attraction, have gained modest traction, particularly amongst those that describe themselves as skilled or security-focused.
Social wallets have seen rising consciousness and experimentation, however long-term utilization stays low. The principle issues embrace restricted management, lack of belief of their safety, and poor interoperability with different dApps or chains.
Throughout all pockets sorts, customers persistently cited the same set of wants. These embrace decrease transaction charges, broader assist for tokens and chains, an easier design, and higher safety towards scams.
Extra customers really feel assured about pockets safety than they did the 12 months earlier than. Even so, issues round phishing and blind signing proceed to face out.
One chain doesn’t rule all of them anymore
Not way back, most blockchains aimed to do all the pieces. At the moment, that image has shifted. The report highlights a rising pattern towards specialization, with totally different chains specializing in distinct capabilities somewhat than competing throughout the identical use instances.
Ethereum (ETH) continues to function the first settlement layer. It processes the most important transaction volumes and helps a broad vary of purposes throughout decentralized finance, NFTs, and infrastructure.
Solana (SOL), in distinction, has positioned itself because the main community for high-frequency exercise. It’s extensively used for memecoins, token launches, and fast-paced buying and selling, largely on account of its pace and low transaction prices.
Nansen information reinforces this distinction. Whereas Ethereum wallets have a median age of 123 days, Solana wallets common simply 51 days. This hole suggests quicker person turnover on Solana, pushed by short-term experimentation and high-velocity buying and selling, notably by platforms like pump.fun and Jupiter.
Base, the layer 2 community backed by Coinbase, is rising as an innovation hub. Pockets exercise on Base spans a mixture of experimental purposes and cross-chain utilities. Its momentum can be seen in on-chain metrics, with charge income rising greater than 460% year-over-year.
Nevertheless, this progress has not but translated into ordinary utilization. Solely 10% of respondents recognized Layer 2 chains as their most-used platforms, pointing to the continued affect of familiarity and community results in shaping person conduct.
BNB Chain (BNB) affords a distinct mannequin. Its exercise stays intently tied to the Binance ecosystem, with most customers counting on exchange-driven companies and low-cost buying and selling.
Pockets information reveals that BNB Chain customers conduct smaller, extra frequent transactions and work together with fewer third-party purposes. Whereas this limits flexibility, it appeals to customers who worth pace and cost-efficiency over selection.
One theme emerges clearly. Most customers are not loyal to a single chain. As a substitute, they select networks based mostly on function, utilizing totally different chains for various duties. This shift additionally explains the rising reliance on a number of wallets.
When requested how necessary cross-chain compatibility was to their web3 actions, over 80% of customers rated it as both very or considerably necessary. Solely 5% stated it was not necessary in any respect.
Use is broadening, however favorites are nonetheless slim
Person conduct on-chain continues to focus on just a few core actions. Buying and selling stays the dominant exercise, whilst many customers categorical long-term curiosity in areas like funds, gaming, and decentralized social instruments.
Bitcoin remains to be probably the most extensively held token, with 64% of respondents together with it of their portfolio. Stablecoins have seen sturdy adoption, with possession rising from 20% final 12 months to 37% in 2025. Memecoins have additionally gained reputation, notably on newer chains like Solana.
Regardless of rising curiosity in sensible purposes, the precise choice information tells a distinct story. When customers had been requested to call their favourite on-chain exercise, solely 12% chosen funds, and simply 3% selected governance. Buying and selling and hypothesis proceed to dominate person engagement.
DeFi use stays regular however restricted in choice. Whereas 45% of individuals stated they’d interacted with DeFi prior to now three months by actions like staking, lending, or liquidity mining, solely 8% named it as their high use case.
Throughout person segments, Degens had been probably the most energetic in DeFi. Apparently, Newbies ranked second in participation, suggesting that newer customers are exploring staking and yield instruments early of their crypto journey.
NFTs have advanced in each perform and notion. A rising variety of customers now view them much less as speculative belongings and extra as collectibles or instruments for participation. Nonetheless, solely 19% of NFT collectors named NFT-related exercise as their favourite a part of being on-chain.
Governance stays a low-engagement space. Simply 6% of customers reported collaborating in a vote inside the previous three months, and solely 3% cited governance as their most popular exercise.
Token possession and platform utilization additionally fluctuate throughout age teams. Older customers usually tend to maintain Bitcoin, with possession reaching 74% amongst individuals aged 55 and above. Youthful customers, particularly these between 18 and 34, are extra drawn to Solana, NFTs, and DeFi-related instruments.
Confidence is up, so are the scams
Safety stays probably the most vital elements shaping how customers work together on-chain. Confidence has improved, with 69% of customers now saying they really feel secure when utilizing crypto services. This marks a transparent rise from 50.5% in 2024.
On the identical time, phishing assaults have elevated. Final 12 months, 14.4% of customers reported being affected. That quantity has climbed to 21% in 2025.
The rise in reported incidents means that whereas crypto instruments are bettering, safety threats are evolving simply as shortly. Many customers proceed to approve transactions with out absolutely understanding the dangers concerned.
Blind signing stays widespread, whilst new options are launched to make transaction particulars extra clear. Interfaces like Clear Signing are gaining consideration, however adoption stays restricted.
Most customers really feel that wallets and apps will not be doing sufficient to guard them. Solely 35% consider current platforms provide enough safety. In distinction, 56% assume stronger safeguards are wanted, and 6% say safety shouldn’t be the platform’s accountability in any respect.
This hole between perceived security and precise outcomes highlights an unresolved difficulty. Customers could really feel safer, however the information doesn’t present a corresponding enchancment in real-world safety.
{Hardware} wallets have seen renewed curiosity, notably amongst extra skilled customers. Nevertheless, they nonetheless symbolize a small portion of complete pockets utilization. Social and cellular wallets proceed to be extra widespread, although they expose customers to increased dangers from phishing and malicious sensible contracts.
A generational divide additionally exists. Older customers are usually extra cautious and selective of their instruments. Youthful customers are typically extra open to adopting new interfaces, even once they carry higher threat.
Crypto has to really feel easy
Funds stay probably the most extensively mentioned use instances in crypto, however precise conduct doesn’t at all times mirror that enthusiasm. Whereas 54% of customers stated they’d used crypto to purchase items or ship funds, solely 12% listed funds as their favourite on-chain exercise.
Stablecoin adoption has practically doubled prior to now 12 months, rising from 20% to 37%. This progress suggests a rising demand for dependable, low-volatility devices, notably for cross-border and peer-to-peer transfers.
Enterprises are additionally stepping in. Corporations like Stripe, PayPal, and Paxos are constructing crypto cost infrastructure into their companies, extending the attain of on-chain transactions into conventional commerce.
Regardless of this momentum, key obstacles persist. Excessive charges, poor person expertise, and inconsistent app high quality proceed to create friction. Interoperability points typically require customers to juggle a number of wallets and manually change between networks, resulting in frustration even amongst these comfy with crypto methods.
The infrastructure is bettering, however it stays removed from seamless. Many apps are nonetheless siloed, and funding a brand new pockets steadily includes a number of steps that may introduce confusion or added prices.
There may be additionally a transparent geographic divide. In areas with unstable currencies or restricted entry to banking, crypto funds provide tangible benefits.
In the meantime, within the U.S. and U.Okay., the place most survey individuals had been based mostly, conventional cost methods are sometimes quicker and cheaper for on a regular basis use. In consequence, crypto funds are likely to function a backup somewhat than a main possibility.
Total, progress is seen, however friction stays excessive. For on-chain utility to rival conventional finance, it should transcend novelty. It should provide the consistency, pace, and ease customers already count on.
