Here is the detailed weekly blockchain metrics report from May 18-24, 2026, covering Ethereum, Solana, BSC Chain, TRON, Bitcoin and Base.
Ethereum Remains Strong as a DeFi Capital Hub
Ethereum has continued to demonstrate why it remains the backbone of decentralized finance. Throughout the week, the total value locked fluctuated between $42.2 billion and $43.3 billion, significantly outpacing all other smart contract blockchains. Although TVL has seen minor declines during periods of broader market weakness, the network has consistently attracted significant capital and maintained significant liquidity in DeFi applications. Ethereum’s stablecoin market cap remained exceptionally strong, holding above $164 billion throughout the week and reaching nearly $166 billion on May 19. This massive stablecoin base highlights Ethereum’s critical role as a settlement layer for digital dollar activity and institutional participation in DeFi.
Trading activity on Ethereum has also remained robust, with daily decentralized exchange volume frequently exceeding $1 billion and peaking at $1.41 billion on May 18. Perpetual futures activity reached $1.84 billion, demonstrating sustained demand for leveraged trading and advanced financial products. Although active addresses gradually declined over the week, the number of transactions increased from 1.85 million to over 2.58 million daily transactions, indicating deeper engagement among existing users and solidifying Ethereum’s status as a primary hub for high-value decentralized finance activities.
Solana is a leader in throughput and derivatives
Solana has once again demonstrated its strength as one of the fastest growing blockchain ecosystems. The network’s TVL increased steadily from $5.38 billion to nearly $5.5 billion, reflecting sustained capital inflows despite broader market fluctuations. The Solana ecosystem continued to enjoy strong user participation, with active addresses ranging between 1.75 million and 2.04 million. Most notably, the network processed approximately 75-80 million transactions per day, far outpacing most competing layer 1 blockchains.
Trading activity has remained one of Solana’s primary strengths, with DEX volumes frequently exceeding $1 billion per day and reaching $1.37 billion on May 21. Perpetual futures trading volumes were particularly impressive, exceeding $5.8 billion over several days and highlighting Solana’s growing influence in derivatives markets. Stablecoin liquidity has remained healthy above $15 billion, while daily fees have consistently exceeded $400,000. These metrics demonstrate Solana’s ability to combine scalability, liquidity, and user growth, solidifying its position as one of the most active blockchain ecosystems in the industry.
BSC Chain and TRON Show Retail and Stablecoin Strength
BSC Chain has maintained its position as one of the most actively used blockchain networks. TVL remained relatively stable around $5.5 billion, while stablecoin capitalization constantly hovered between $17.4 billion and $17.8 billion. The most striking indicator of the network remains user activity, with active addresses ranging between 2.37 million and 2.79 million. The number of daily transactions frequently exceeded 15 million and peaked at over 18 million transactions on May 22. DEX activity remained healthy, with volumes generally above $500 million and reaching nearly $674 million.
TRON has remained one of the most economically productive blockchain networks. While TVL has remained close to $5.1 billion, the network’s true strength has been reflected in its massive stablecoin ecosystem, which has consistently maintained a stable market cap of around $91 billion. TRON generated between $754,000 and $1.3 million in daily fees and revenue. User engagement has remained exceptionally high, with active addresses ranging between 3.7 million and 4.15 million and daily transactions consistently above 11 million.
Bitcoin and Base continue to evolve
The Bitcoin ecosystem has remained resilient despite fluctuations in market sentiment. TVL hovered around the $5 billion mark, returning to around $5.06 billion on May 24. Active addresses remained healthy, ranging from around 564,000 to 671,000, while the number of daily transactions frequently exceeded 600,000. DEX activity improved significantly, with volume surpassing $1 million on May 24. The market capitalization of Bitcoin tokens has consistently remained around $1.5 trillion.
Base has continued to strengthen its position as one of the most important Ethereum Layer-2 ecosystems. TVL remained between $4.4-4.8 billion, with stable coin capitalization close to $4.7-4.8 billion. DEX trading volumes consistently exceeded $1 billion per day and sometimes exceeded $1.2 billion. Perpetual futures activity hit a weekly high of around $345 million. User engagement remained stable, with active addresses generally ranging between 430,000 and 475,000, while the number of transactions regularly exceeded 10 million daily transactions.
Weekly comparison and market context
The week of May 18-24, 2026 highlighted the increasingly specialized roles of large blockchain networks. Ethereum has remained the dominant destination for DeFi capital and stable liquidity. Solana is a leader in transaction throughput and derivatives trading. BSC Chain has excelled in retail participation. TRON has continued to dominate stablecoin settlements and protocol revenue generation. Bitcoin has maintained its position as the largest digital asset ecosystem. Base has solidified its position as a leading Layer 2 scaling solution. Together, these trends illustrate a maturing blockchain landscape in which networks are increasingly differentiated by unique strengths and use cases rather than competing solely on transaction volume or market capitalization.
