Solana, Stablecoins, and AI lead blockchain’s next growth wave: a16z’s report

Key Takeaways

Why is Solana in focus?

a16z’s State of Crypto 2025 report names Solana the fastest-growing blockchain, now driving over half of app revenue.

What’s happening with stablecoins?

Stablecoin transactions hit $46 trillion in the past year, tripling Visa’s volume, with issuers holding $150 billion in U.S. Treasuries.

The State of Crypto 2025 report from Andreessen Horowitz [a16z], released on 21 October, paints a picture of an industry shifting from speculation to structural maturity. 

Solana’s explosive rise, the global expansion of stablecoins, and the growing integration between AI and crypto now define what the venture firm calls “the next wave of blockchain growth.”

Solana takes center stage in onchain activity

According to a16z, Solana has become the fastest-growing blockchain ecosystem by real usage and developer activity. 

Builder participation has surged by 78% in two years, while the network now generates more real revenue than both Ethereum and Bitcoin combined.

The report highlights that Solana and Hyperliquid account for 53% of total onchain app revenue. This is a sign that activity is shifting toward high-performance, low-fee chains. 

With over $3 billion generated across Solana-based apps in the past year, a16z frames the ecosystem as “a functioning economy, not a speculative experiment.”

Developers are also gravitating to Solana’s all-in-one stack, where DeFi, NFTs, and consumer apps share a unified execution layer. This structure contrasts sharply with Ethereum’s fragmented Layer-2 ecosystem.

Stablecoins become crypto’s backbone

Stablecoins are now “the dollar’s onchain twin,” according to the report. Global transaction volumes hit $46 trillion in the past year, more than triple Visa’s throughput.

a16z estimates that stablecoin issuers collectively hold over $150 billion in U.S. Treasuries, making them a growing force in global finance. 

The report predicts the total stablecoin market could exceed $3 trillion by 2030, as regulated frameworks like the GENIUS Act in the U.S. and MiCA in Europe legitimize digital dollars.

In emerging markets from Argentina to Nigeria, stablecoins have become a lifeline, serving as an alternative to volatile national currencies and limited banking access.

AI and crypto merge into a new economic layer

Another highlight of the report is the convergence between AI and blockchain. a16z forecasts that AI agents could soon become “machine customers,” using crypto rails for payments and coordination. 

The firm estimates $30 trillion in machine-to-machine transactions by 2030, powered by protocols like x402 and new AI-compatible smart contract systems.

This intersection, a16z argues, will blur the line between financial infrastructure and digital intelligence — creating an economy where autonomous systems manage value natively onchain.

A maturing market with institutional depth

2025 marks a pivotal moment for mainstream adoption. a16z cites BlackRock’s ETF expansion, Circle’s upcoming IPO, and PayPal’s stablecoin rollout as examples of Wall Street and fintech aligning behind blockchain.

The report calls this transition “crypto’s institutional phase” — a period where capital efficiency, regulatory clarity, and onchain utility matter more than speculative trading cycles.

The bigger picture

The State of Crypto 2025 report leaves little doubt: the next phase of blockchain growth will be driven by Solana’s builder momentum, the real-world utility of stablecoins, and the integration of AI with finance.

Crypto is no longer just about price charts; it’s becoming infrastructure for the global digital economy.