Among the many blockchains competing for attention in 2024, opBNB emerged as the most used for the year. According to DappRadar, opBNB had 3.88 million daily unique active wallets (dUAW) during the year making it the most used.
opBNB operates as an extension of the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) ecosystem, using Optimistic Rollup technology to achieve performance improvements. This technology bundles multiple transactions into a single batch, which is processed off-chain before being submitted to the main chain.
This process reduces the computational load on the blockchain, which lowers transaction costs and increases throughput. These advantages make opBNB particularly attractive for high-traffic dapps and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.
The chain’s compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) also ensures that developers can easily port projects from other EVM-compatible chains. Dappradar noted that the success of opBNB in 2024 can also be attributed to its robust ecosystem. Particle Network in particular further boosted its popularity.
Meanwhile, emerging players Matchain and Base gained momentum in 2024. Matchain drew significant attention with its standout dapp, LOL, which rapidly rose in popularity with an increased user base. Base achieved a milestone by setting an all-time high of $15.65 billion in trading volume on Uniswap V3 over 30 days.
485% increase in UAW
Per the DappRadar, the dApp industry witnessed a surge in 2024, recording a 485% increase in Unique Active Wallets (UAW). This resulted in an average of 24.6 million daily UAW by the end of the year.
One striking trend was the growth in the “Other” category, which saw a 2,269% increase in activity. This was possible due to the release and adoption of more AI dapps. AI dapps quickly gained traction due to their transformative potential and easy-to-use models.
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The growth brought about the creation of a dedicated AI Dapp ranking on DappRadar. Currently, there are over 50 AI Dapps tracked by the DappRadar numerous chains such as BSC, Ethereum, Tron, Unchain, and others.
Additionally, the DeFi sector grew by 532% in activity, ending the year with 7 million daily UAW. This allowed DeFi to capture 32% of the market share. Several factors contributed to this success, including the widespread trading of memecoins and AI-related tokens. The rise of memecoins saw the emergence of a $130 billion industry at the end of the year.
From celebrity-themed memecoins to humor-based tokens, DeFi transactions on Solana surged in 2024. The platform’s ease of launching new memecoin projects fueled this trend, despite widespread criticism of such activities.
