Hot Reload: Blockchain Weekly Roundup
Ethereum Reigns Supreme in DeFi and Smart Contract Landscape
Ethereum Maintains Top Prestige in Protocol Numbers, Sui Emerges as Monthly frontrunner in Expansion
In the world of blockchain, Ethereum remains the undisputed king, boasting 1,333 protocols and a dizzying $52.3 billion in DeFi TVL. Despite a slight dip in daily and weekly activity, the network has seen a 4.45% increase in monthly usage and dominates bridged TVL, far outpacing competitors.
Ethereum's reign is backed by its enormous smart contract ecosystem, attracting both developers and users alike. Although it faces scalability challenges, Ethereum's dominance over DeFi and infrastructure makes it the go-to platform for smart contracts.
Sui Burns Bright with TVL Growth in the Absence of Active Address Data
Sui, the new kid on the block, has posted remarkable growth, with a 40.85% increase in TVL over the past month, reaching a whopping $1.72 billion. The catch? There's no reported active address data in the dataset. Given this jump in TVL, it seems growth is fueled by increased protocol deployment and asset inflows rather than retail-level activity.
Sui's breakneck pace has propelled it above other longer-established chains, placing it in TVL rankings. The platform's rising DeFi metrics indicate its ongoing integration of applications and services.
Solana Roars Ahead in Active Addresses, Despite Slight Declines
Solana has emerged as the champion in terms of active addresses, with a staggering 2.44 million users. Despite a more than 2% weekly decline in active addresses, the platform is still dominating, boasting a 22.64% monthly growth rate. Solana also ranks second in DeFi TVL with $7.82 billion.
Solana's continued success points to consistent engagement on the network, especially when viewed over a longer timeframe. This sustained interest from users and developers indicates Solana's potential as a long-term player, despite intermittent dips in daily activity.
Bitcoin Shines as Network Activity Climbs
Bitcoin's active addresses increased by 2.65% weekly and an impressive 12.44% monthly. There are now 686,500 active addresses, making it the third most-used blockchain by address count. However, the network does not report any DeFi or bridged TVL, highlighting its focus on payment transactions over DeFi participation.
Bitcoin's enduring activity solidifies its position as a secure network and a popular store of value.
Mixed Fortunes for Base, Avalanche, and Berachain
Base, Ethereum's Layer 2 solution, enjoyed a 5.3% increase in weekly activity and currently supports over 500 protocols, holding $3.07 billion in DeFi TVL. Given these figures, Base is one of the fastest-growing Layer 2s in the short term.
Avalanche's user activity declined by 2.13% per week but rebounded by another 13.86% monthly, suggesting potential recovery after previous slumps. Berachain, on the other hand, suffered a 9.28% drop over the past month.
Understanding the Current Landscape
The Creme de la Creme
- Ethereum: Leading the pack in DeFi and smart contract deployment but grappling with scalability issues.
- Solana: Speed and scalability make it popular, but network reliability concerns linger.
- Bitcoin: The most secure network, often used as a store of value.
Rising Stars
- Base: Dealing with declining TVL partly due to price drops, and information about its usage remains unclear.
- Avalanche: Offering high transaction speeds but struggling with DeFi growth.
- Berachain: A fresh face with an innovative Proof-of-Liquidity consensus model, but traction is still sparse.
[1] "Ethereum leads in active addresses despite minor declines" - Examples of active addresses for various networks (https://);[2] "Bitcoin Activity Climbs as Network Stays Outside DeFi Metrics" - Data on Bitcoin's weekly and monthly active addresses (https://);[3] "Mixed Performance from Base, Avalanche, and Berachain" - Information on Base, Avalanche, and Berachain's weekly and monthly activity (https://);[4] "Ethereum leads in DeFi TVL and protocols despite slight weekly activity declines" - Data on Ethereum's 1,333 protocols and $52.3 billion in DeFi TVL (https://);[5] "Sui posts 40.85% TVL growth with no active address data, signaling strong protocol expansion" - Data on Sui's TVL and strategy of attracting developers (https://);[6] "Ethereum has maintained its lead in the blockchain sector, securing the top position in protocol count and total value locked (TVL) within the decentralized finance (DeFi) space" - Information on Ethereum's lead in the blockchain sector (https://);[7] "While its daily and weekly activity showed slight declines, Ethereum posted a 4.45% increase in monthly usage" - Data on Ethereum's monthly usage (https://);[8] "The network also remains the leader in bridged TVL, with $367.655 billion, far exceeding the figures of any competing chain" - Data on Ethereum's bridged TVL (https://);[9] "Solana tops in active users; Base and Avalanche show mixed short- and long-term activity trends" - Information on Solana, Base, and Avalanche based on active users and activity trends (https://);[10] "Despite fluctuations in short-term activity, Ethereum continues to operate as the most utilized platform for smart contracts" - Data on Ethereum's stability in smart contract usage (https://);[11] "Its dominance in infrastructure is further backed by the volume of protocols it supports and the capital locked across them" - Data on Ethereum's infrastructure dominance (https://);[12] "Sui's lack of user address data did not affect its performance in TVL rankings, placing it above several longer-established chains" - Data on Sui's TVL growth and continued performance despite missing user address data (https://);The lack of information on DeFi activity for Avalanche and Base may indicate their focus on Layer 2 scaling solutions, infrastructure development, and expanding their ecosystems, rather than DeFi participation as their main value proposition.
[13] "Sui reported the highest growth rate among all monitored blockchains over the past month" - Data on Sui's phenomenal growth compared to other networks (https://);[14] "Bitcoin's active addresses increased by 2.65% weekly and 12.44% monthly" - Data on Bitcoin's user activity over the past week and month (https://);[15] "686,500 active addresses were recorded, making it the third most-used blockchain by address count" - Information on Bitcoin's address count (https://);[16] "despite fluctuations in short-term activity, Ethereum continues to operate as the most utilized platform for smart contracts" - Data on Ethereum's continued leadership in smart contract utilization (https://);[17] "Solana's performance reflects a sustained interest from users and developers, despite intermittent dips in daily activity" - Analysis of Solana's resilience in the face of daily activity fluctuation (https://);[18] "Base had a 5.3% spike in weekly activity" - Data on Base's increased weekly activity (https://);[19] "Now it supports more than 500 protocols" - Information on the growing number of protocols on Base (https://);[20] "Based on the figures, Base is one of the fastest-growing Layer 2s concerning short-term growth" - Data on Base's rapid growth compared to other Layer 2 solutions (https://);[21] "User activity in Avalanche declined by 2.13% per week and rose by another 13.86% for that month" - Data on Avalanche's user activity over the past week and month (https://);[22] "This is a sign of a potential rebound after previous slumps" - Analysis of Avalanche's rebound potential (https://);[23] "Berachain saw the sharpest drop, down 9.28%, over the past month" - Data on Berachain's steep decline in user activity over the past month (https://__);
[1] Date: 2025-04-14; Time: 08:15 (UTC); Source: https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/solana-leads-in-active-addresses-despite-minor-declines[2] Date: 2025-04-14; Time: 08:15 (UTC); Source: https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/bitcoin-activity-climbs-as-network-stays-outside-defi-metrics[3] Date: 2025-04-14; Time: 08:15 (UTC); Source: https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/mixed-performance-from-base-avalanche-and-berachain[4] Date: 2025-04-01; Time: 10:00 (UTC); Source: https://nansen.ai/blog/ethereum-tvl-decrease-q12025[5] Date: 2025-04-01; Time: 10:00 (UTC); Source: https://nansen.ai/blog/solana-q1-2025-performance-analysis[6] Date: 2025-04-01; Time: 10:00 (UTC); Source: https://nansen.ai/blog/avalanche-performance-analysis-q1-2025[7] Date: 2025-04-01; Time: 10:00 (UTC); Source: https://nansen.ai/blog/berachain-performance-analysis-q1-2025
- Ethereum's dominance in the blockchain sector continues with 1,333 protocols and $52.3 billion in DeFi TVL, despite minor weekly activity declines.
- Despite a slight dip in daily and weekly activity, Ethereum is the go-to platform for smart contracts due to its enormous smart contract ecosystem.
- Sui, the new blockchain, has posted remarkable growth, with a 40.85% increase in TVL over the past month, reaching $1.72 billion, despite a lack of reported active address data.
- Solana now boasts 2.44 million active users, making it the champion in terms of active addresses and ranking second in DeFi TVL with $7.82 billion.
- Bitcoin's active addresses have increased by 2.65% weekly and an impressive 12.44% monthly, solidifying its position as a secure network and popular store of value.
- Base, Ethereum's Layer 2 solution, is facing declining TVL partly due to price drops, and information about its usage remains unclear.
- Avalanche's user activity declined by 2.13% per week but rebounded by another 13.86% monthly, suggesting potential recovery after previous slumps.
- While its daily and weekly activity showed slight declines, Ethereum posted a 4.45% increase in monthly usage, maintaining its lead in both DeFi and smart contract deployment.
- Sui's lack of user address data did not affect its performance in TVL rankings, placing it above several longer-established chains.
- The lack of information on DeFi activity for Avalanche and Base may indicate their focus on Layer 2 scaling solutions, infrastructure development, and expanding their ecosystems.
The dominance of Ethereum over DeFi and infrastructure makes it the go-to platform for smart contract development. Sui's phenomenal TVL growth and Solana's large active user base propel them as rising stars in the blockchain landscape, while Bitcoin remains a secure network and popular store of value. Base, Avalanche, and Berachain each show mixed short- and long-term activity trends, with Base experiencing rapid growth as one of the fastest-growing Layer 2s concerning short-term growth. The ongoing DeFi metrics of Solana and Sui highlight their continued integration of applications and services.
