The CoinMarketCap (CMC) Q3 report reveals significant shifts in the crypto landscape.
Bitcoin’s dominance surged to a two-year high of 56.8%, its highest level since April 2021, while the total stablecoin market cap hit an all-time high (ATH) of $160 billion, 2.5 times higher than April 2021 levels. Despite a slight dip in the global crypto market cap, down 0.13% to $2.24 trillion, trading volumes rose 12.6%, signaling sustained activity.
As the bull market progress reaches 40.66%, it is currently 100 days ahead of schedule. Key sectors like AI and meme coins saw impressive growth in Q3, while DeFi and infrastructure projects faced declines. TRON emerged as the top performer for the quarter with a 21.51% gain, while the DeFi sector saw its total value locked (TVL) drop by 21.4% from its yearly high.
User activity also shifted, with Solana losing ground while Ethereum saw an uptick. Notably, India became the second-largest country for crypto users, highlighting the growing interest in digital assets worldwide.
On the Layer-1 vs Layer-2 front, L2 networks are now processing more daily transactions than Ethereum, with Base overtaking Arbitrum in daily active addresses. TRON continued its strong performance, but Solana flipped TRON in terms of daily active addresses.
NFTs and GameFi sectors showed some resilience. Ethereum reclaimed the lead in NFT trading volumes with 41% market share, while Solana led in other NFT activity metrics. Popular blockchain game Pixels maintained its top spot with over 5 million active users, while TON’s Catizen saw a surge to 2.9 million daily active users.
Despite a bearish Q3, historical trends suggest a potentially stronger Q4 for crypto markets.
Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any Metaverse crypto coins.