Crypto: More Than 100 Projects Closed in 2026, Including Historical Players

In 2026, more than 100 crypto projects have shut down, filed for bankruptcy, or ceased operations, according to RootData. This wave has affected exchanges, wallets, DeFi, NFTs, and some blockchains. In late July, BitMEX, BitMart, Movement Labs, and Storj Labs announced their closure or bankruptcy filings within a single week. Meanwhile, Moonbeam stopped producing blocks on July 31. The sector is therefore entering a broad and highly visible phase of consolidation. In brief More than 100 crypto projects have shut down, filed for bankruptcy, or ceased operations in 2026, according to RootData data. Closures are affecting several segments, including exchanges, DeFi, NFTs, wallets, and some blockchains. The proliferation of general-purpose Ethereum Layer 2 solutions is now accelerating market consolidation. Hacks and liquidity shortages are further weakening projects whose treasuries consist primarily of tokens. The projects that are weathering the downturn are increasingly relying on products with real usage and sustainable revenue, rather than on their token alone. The trend is affecting several categories of players, including exchanges, wallets, DeFi lending protocols, NFT marketplaces, and Layer 1 blockchains. It is therefore not limited to a specific segment of the ecosystem. The wave is now affecting different types of projects and spreading across the entire sector. According to RootData data, more than 100 crypto projects have already shut down, ceased operations, or filed for bankruptcy in 2026. At the end of July, four companies announced their closure or bankruptcy filing during the same week. BitMEX, BitMart, Movement Labs, and Storj Labs are among the affected players. This succession of announcements provides a concrete measure of the movement. It also shows that the difficulties now go beyond young projects still in the launch phase. Moonbeam illustrates this evolution on the scale of an entire blockchain. This Polkadot parachain permanently ceased its activities on July 31. Users who had not transferred their assets in time are left without a solution. The contracts remain present, but the chain no longer produces blocks to allow their normal use. This situation poses a particular question to users and developers. A project can disappear as a company without its code disappearing immediately. Smart contracts sometimes continue to function after the teams dissolve. This peculiarity distinguishes decentralized infrastructures from traditional tech companies and creates new operational risks. Start your crypto adventure safely with KrakenThis link uses an affiliate program. Ethereum Layer 2 Enters a Consolidation Phase The Ethereum layer 2 ecosystem concentrates a significant part of this restructuring. These networks experienced rapid growth in 2023 due to technical advances. They have strongly reduced costs and facilitated the launch of new chains. Their principle is to process transactions, group them, and then send them back to Ethereum. However, the simplification of network launches has also multiplied generalist offers.