2025-12-25 00:23:58

The Layer 1 blockchain landscape heading into 2026 looks quite different from the start of 2025—fragmentation has intensified significantly. Investment activity and user attention are consolidating around a smaller number of major L1 hubs, while smaller chains struggle to retain momentum. This concentration reflects both market maturity and the increasingly competitive nature of blockchain ecosystems. The emerging trend suggests winners and losers will become more pronounced throughout 2026, with capital flowing primarily to established networks that can sustain developer interest and ecosystem liquidity. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for anyone tracking digital asset movements this year.

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.

10 Likes

Reward
10
3
Repost
Share

Comment

0/400

0xInsomnia

· 18h ago

The king of volatility still has to compete; small coins are basically out of the game... The big wave washes away the sand, that's just how it is.

View OriginalReply0

AirdropHunter

· 18h ago

This is just a big wave washing away the sand. How could small coins possibly have a chance to survive? --- Wait, are you talking about the few small public chains I hold that are about to fail? --- It's normal for funds to concentrate in the top projects. It's those copycat L1s that are doomed. --- So, those still holding small coins are probably gamblers, right? Not interesting. --- Here we go again with the Matthew Effect. I saw this coming. --- Basically, it's a reshuffle—survival of the fittest. --- Fragmentation? I think it's big fish eating small fish. --- What kind of impressive applications do those small chains need to survive? Is there hope? --- No wonder the ecosystem's activity has been so poor lately; all the money is flowing into the big players. --- It's a bit early to make predictions for 2026... but this trend really can't be stopped.

View OriginalReply0

GasOptimizer

· 18h ago

Forget it, it's the same old story. Fund concentration can already be seen from on-chain data, and the key issue is that those small tokens are still stubbornly paying high Gas fees, which is the real low-efficiency black hole.

View OriginalReply0