Money is quickly becoming digital, so why wouldn’t it work on your phone?

Mobile crypto wallets just hit 36 million active users in Q4 2024, setting new highs.

Surprisingly, that's only 6% of all crypto holders – most of us are still laptop or desktop-bound.

But if crypto goes mobile, it opens up a new world for payments – is that new world finally here?

From HODLers to Users

A16z Crypto's Daren Matsuoka thinks so – he says that mobile wallets are turning passive holders into active users. 

With 560 million people holding crypto worldwide, we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg of what happens when people can actually use their funds to buy things in the real world.

The other 94% of the crypto population might just get on board if the idea of crypto changes from “moonshot” to “buy a coffee with it.” 

Stablecoins Lead the Way

2024's real MVP is Stablecoins. 

Trading volume hit $30 trillion, triple last year's numbers, and November saw $9.7 billion flow into exchanges right before Bitcoin cracked $100K. 

By year-end, stablecoin supply was pushing $200 billion, up 18% in Q4 alone.

They’re seeing the most use in East Asia – the jurisdiction moved a whopping $400 billion on-chain in just one year. 

One of the biggest draws of stablecoins is, unsurprisingly, their stability. When your local currency is losing value, stablecoins start looking as useful as any other dollar in the neighborhood. 

Deenar's Maruf Yusupov says their meteoric rise could spell trouble for traditional banks sometime in the future.

We're watching money evolve in real-time, and analysts think crypto ownership could triple in two years. 

The Rise Of The Mobile User

Mobile wallets just might prove that crypto can go mainstream. 

But with 94% of holders still sitting on the sidelines, the real show hasn't even started. 

Clear regulations could unlock everything from remittances to digital capital markets.

The tech is already inhabiting the pockets of 36 million people. 

Between mobile adoption exploding and institutions piling in, it’s only a matter of time before more finance goes full crypto, and mobile wallets will be how they do it.