Who Controls the Revenue Lifeblood of the Crypto Industry?
The article analyzes the revenue dynamics of the crypto industry, which generated over $16 billion in revenue in 2025—double that of 2024. The largest revenue drivers are stablecoin issuers like Tether and Circle, which account for 60% of total industry revenue. However, decentralized perpetual exchanges (perp DEXs) such as Hyperliquid, EdgeX, Lighter, and Axiom emerged as a significant new sector, collectively contributing 7-8% of total revenue—more than established DeFi sectors like lending and staking combined.
Three key factors drive crypto revenue: spread income (e.g., interest from stablecoin reserves), transaction execution (e.g., perp DEXs enabling high-frequency trading), and distribution channels (e.g., token launch platforms like pump.fun). The article notes that perp DEXs, with their frictionless trading and liquidity advantages, are the only sector potentially challenging stablecoin issuers' dominance.
Additionally, the industry is shifting toward value transfer to token holders via mechanisms like buybacks, burns, and fee sharing. In 2025, $33.6 billion (58% of total fees) was returned to token holders, reinforcing tokens as economic ownership claims rather than mere governance tools. This trend is expected to accelerate in 2026, especially as falling interest rates reduce the appeal of spread-based revenue.
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