Onchain analytics firm Nansen has identified Solana, BNB Chain, Base, Tron, and NEAR Protocol as the leading blockchains in 2025.
Solana topped the list with 23.01 billion transactions, followed by BNB Chain with 3.89 billion. Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 Base processed 3.29 billion transactions, securing third place, while Tron had 3.22 billion and NEAR rounded out the top five with 1.89 billion.
Despite 2025 witnessing institutional adoption, retail-driven use cases continued to dominate transaction volume, especially on blockchains known for low fees and high throughput.
Solana’s DEX surge and memecoin frenzy
Solana’s success was bolstered by a trading boom that led it to the forefront of decentralized exchange (DEX) rankings in early 2025.
CoinGecko noted that Solana DEX trading claimed 40% of the market share, achieving $293.7 billion in Q1 2025, largely fueled by a memecoin frenzy surrounding tokens like $TRUMP, a Solana-based token launched on January 18 linked to US President Donald Trump.
DefiLlama data revealed that Solana consistently ranked among the top chains for DEX volume throughout the year, with monthly volumes at or exceeding the $100 billion threshold.
Related: Solana enters 2026 with last-minute boost in RWA momentum
BNB Chain’s approximately 3.89 billion transactions corresponded with the emergence of its own memecoin sector.
Base positioned itself third in transaction counts for 2025 by leveraging direct distribution from Coinbase’s user base. A 2026 forecast by Messari researcher AJC indicated that Base’s protocol revenue surged by about 30 times in 2025, capturing 62% of the overall L2 revenue. The same research highlighted that Base’s ecosystem now features DEXs, AI-linked applications, and prediction platforms.
Related: Base’s creator coin experiment meets resistance after Nick Shirley launch
Tron and NEAR complete the top five
Tron’s 3.22 billion transactions underscored its importance as a backbone for the stablecoin ecosystem. In June 2025, TRON DAO announced that more than half of the circulating USDt (USDT) was issued on its blockchain. Its stablecoin supply increased by about 40% year-to-date, with daily transfer volumes reaching tens of billions of dollars.
NEAR Protocol completed the top five with 1.89 billion transactions in 2025 according to Nansen’s report.
NEAR indicated around 46 million users in May, placing it on par with Solana and Tron regarding activity metrics. Beyond numbers, a significant aspect of NEAR’s narrative in 2025 involved its contribution to privacy through Zcash (ZEC), whose resurgence was partly aided by the Electric Coin Company’s Zashi wallet integrating with NEAR’s Intents system. This integration allowed users to traverse ZEC’s shielded pool without utilizing centralized exchanges.
This synergy contributed to Zcash’s shielded supply reaching historic levels and led to a surge in activity on NEAR Intents, including a single day with over $17 million in Zcash-related volumes.
