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- Ethereum maintained the largest TVL among smart contract platforms, ending the week above $42 billion despite lower token market capitalization.
- Solana continued to dominate on-chain activity with nearly 2 million daily active addresses and DEX volumes frequently exceeding $1 billion.
- BSC Chain recorded the highest activity among EVM chains, averaging over 15 million daily transactions.
- Tron remained the leader in stablecoin liquidity with over $90 billion in stablecoin market capitalization.
- Bitcoin saw declining TVL and token market capitalization as market sentiment weakened during the week.
- Base maintained strong growth metrics with DEX volumes regularly exceeding $1 billion and transaction counts above 7 million per day.
May reflected a more cautious market environment, with several ecosystems experiencing declines in TVL and market capitalization. Despite this, trading activity remained resilient across Ethereum, Solana, Base, and BNB Chain.
May 2026 saw resilient blockchain activity despite softer market conditions, with Ethereum leading DeFi liquidity, Solana dominating user activity, BNB Chain posting the strongest growth, and Bitcoin facing declines in TVL and market capitalization.
Ethereum
Ethereum remained the largest DeFi ecosystem by total value locked, fluctuating between $41.7 billion and $43 billion during the week. TVL peaked at $43.019 billion on May 26 before settling at $42.09 billion by May 31.
Network fees surged to a weekly high of $561,478 on May 28, reflecting increased on-chain activity. DEX trading volume reached $1.354 billion on the same day, while perpetual futures volume peaked at $1.903 billion. Despite strong DeFi usage, Ethereum’s token market capitalization fell from $253.2 billion to $243.7 billion over the week. Stablecoin capitalization remained relatively stable near $162 billion.
Ethereum Key Highlights
- TVL closed at $42.09B
- Highest chain fees: $561,478
- Peak DEX volume: $1.354B
- Peak perps volume: $1.903B
- Stablecoin market cap remained above $162B
- Active addresses peaked at 656,783
Solana
Solana continued to rank among the most active blockchain ecosystems. TVL declined slightly from $5.448 billion to $5.371 billion, but network activity remained strong.
DEX volume surpassed $1.5 billion on May 28, while perpetual futures volume reached a weekly high of $2.361 billion. Daily active addresses consistently remained above 1.6 million, demonstrating strong user engagement. Transaction counts averaged around 75 million per day, far exceeding most competing blockchains.
Solana Key Highlights
- TVL closed at $5.371B
- Peak DEX volume: $1.527B
- Peak perps volume: $2.361B
- Stablecoin market cap remained near $15.2B
- Daily active addresses reached 1.97M
- Transactions regularly exceeded 75M per day
BSC Chain
BSC Chain delivered consistent growth throughout the week. TVL increased from $5.606 billion to $5.773 billion, making it one of the strongest performers among major smart contract chains.
DEX volume exceeded $900 million on both May 30 and May 31. Active addresses stayed above 2 million throughout the week, while daily transaction counts remained between 14.9 million and 16.6 million. Stablecoin capitalization remained highly stable at approximately $17.4 billion.
BSC Chain Key Highlights
- TVL increased to $5.773B
- Peak DEX volume: $914.5M
- Active addresses consistently above 2M
- Daily transactions exceeded 15M
- Stablecoin market cap held near $17.4B
Tron
Tron remained one of the most utilized payment-focused blockchain networks. While TVL declined from $5.112 billion to $4.858 billion, the network continued to support over $90 billion in stablecoins.
Active addresses remained exceptionally high, ranging between 3.89 million and 4.35 million daily. Transactions consistently exceeded 11 million per day. The chain’s stablecoin dominance highlights its importance in global USDT and stablecoin transfers.
Tron Key Highlights
- TVL closed at $4.858B
- Stablecoin market cap maintained above $90.7B
- Active addresses peaked at 4.35M
- Daily transactions remained above 11M
- Token market cap ended at $32.95B
Bitcoin
Bitcoin experienced declines across several metrics during the week. TVL fell from $5.093 billion to $4.831 billion, while market capitalization dropped from $1.542 trillion to $1.478 trillion.
Network fees remained relatively stable, peaking at $287,294 on May 29. Active addresses reached a weekly high of 669,839 on May 30. Although Bitcoin’s DeFi ecosystem remains smaller than smart contract platforms, the network maintained over $4.8 billion in TVL.
Bitcoin Key Highlights
- TVL closed at $4.831B
- Market cap ended at $1.478T
- Highest chain fees: $287,294
- Peak active addresses: 669,839
- Highest daily transactions: 783,577
Base
Base continued to demonstrate strong adoption among Ethereum Layer-2 networks. TVL remained stable near $4.4 billion throughout the week.
DEX volume surpassed $1.2 billion on multiple days, while perpetual futures trading reached a weekly high of $365.35 million. Stablecoin capitalization remained above $4.6 billion. The network consistently processed millions of transactions daily, highlighting continued user engagement.
Base Key Highlights
- TVL closed at $4.405B
- Peak DEX volume: $1.295B
- Peak perps volume: $365.35M
- Stablecoin market cap remained near $4.7B
- Peak active addresses: 495,359
- Daily transactions reached 12.92M
Overall Conclusion
The week of May 25–31 showcased a mixed but generally healthy blockchain landscape. Ethereum maintained its leadership in DeFi liquidity and stablecoin infrastructure, while Solana continued to dominate trading activity and user engagement. BSC Chain demonstrated strong transaction throughput and TVL growth, while Tron reinforced its position as the primary stablecoin settlement network.
Bitcoin faced softer market conditions, reflected in lower TVL and market capitalization, though on-chain activity remained relatively stable. Meanwhile, Base continued establishing itself as one of the fastest-growing Layer-2 ecosystems with robust trading volumes and transaction counts.
Overall, the data suggests that despite short-term market weakness, user activity, stablecoin liquidity, and decentralized trading volumes remain strong across major blockchain networks, indicating continued participation and demand throughout the crypto ecosystem. May 2026 highlighted the resilience of major blockchain networks, with strong user activity, trading volumes, and stablecoin liquidity despite softer market conditions.
Weekly Comparison: (May 18–24 vs May 25–31, 2026)
- Ethereum remained the largest DeFi ecosystem, with TVL holding above $42B in both weeks despite a decline in token market capitalization and stablecoin liquidity.
- Solana maintained industry-leading user activity and transaction throughput, while DEX volume increased from $1.37B to $1.53B, although perpetual futures volume cooled.
- BNB Chain was one of the strongest performers compared with the previous week, as TVL increased to $5.77B and DEX volume surged above $914M, reinforcing its status as the most active EVM chain.
- Tron continued dominating stablecoin settlements with more than $90B in stablecoin liquidity, while active addresses increased to a weekly peak of 4.35 million.
- Bitcoin experienced the weakest performance among major chains, with both TVL and market capitalization declining during the week amid softer market conditions.
- Base strengthened its Layer-2 position as DEX volume, perpetual futures activity, and transaction counts all increased, highlighting continued ecosystem growth.
