A16z Crypto User Estimate: 30–60M Real Monthly Users in 2024

Key Points:

• a16z Crypto User Estimate reveals 30–60 million real monthly users.
• Only a small percentage of global crypto owners transact monthly, per a16z.

a16z Crypto User Estimate suggests there are 30-60M real monthly crypto users, revealing a major gap between passive holders and active on-chain participants.

Analyzing the a16z Crypto User Estimate

According to its recent analysis, a16z estimates that there are 30-60 million monthly active crypto users, although there are over 220 million active crypto addresses. What this means is that only a small portion of those holders with crypto wallets actually conduct monthly transactions.

As infrastructure improvements continue to ramp up, there’s a vast opportunity to turn passive holders into active users via innovative, engaging on-chain applications. Such could be the trend to drive adoption as dormant crypto holders get re-engaged through enhanced usability. Moreover, the a16z analysis further underscores the complexity of making those active user estimates because, after all, often several users share the same address or exchange accounts.

Account abstraction protocols and smart contract wallets stir further complications in the pot. With those caveats, the study from a16z provides a useful estimate toward understanding active crypto engagement today and underlines an important opportunity for growth in active on-chain activity among current crypto holders.

Read more: Skyfire Raises $9.5 Million with Coinbase Ventures and a16z

Methodologies Behind a16z’s Crypto User Estimate

To arrive at its estimate of 30 to 60 million, a16z utilized an array of analytical techniques, each solving some set of problems specific to the crypto space. They attempted to calculate how many active addresses are transacting on-chain, adjusted for the number of addresses that open more than once, and filtered out all those accounts that could be created by exchanges and are not unique users.

Their modeling also included such easier-to-ascertain limitations as address overlap and multi-user accounts. This was complicated by the addition of account abstraction and smart contract wallets, but a16z tamed it by honing in on regular patterns of distinct activity.

This holistic approach not only gives a better view of the actual number of crypto users, but it’s also demonstrative of the continued need for more sophisticated measurement tools. These methodologies further show the intent of a16z in capturing the right picture of blockchain engagement as the space continues to grow and evolve.