Can WalletConnect turn invisible wallet plumbing into a stake-and-earn backbone—so wallets and node operators share recurring revenue and users get Web2-like UX without giving up keys?
Short answer: they’re already building it — and the early metrics are convincing.
WalletConnect now runs a decentralized Relay Network of service nodes and launched Smart Sessions to let dApps request pre-approved, long-lived actions (fewer click prompts = Web2-smooth UX). That product + relay mesh is why WalletConnect counts hundreds of millions of cumulative connections and tens of millions of unique wallets.
Economics: WCT is the rail for staking, governance, and future relay fees. Users can stake WCT (multi-week lock options exist) and earn protocol rewards; public docs and trackers show ~121–122M WCT staked and hundreds of node operators already participating—real supply is being locked to secure relays.
Why this matters: when relay fees become governance-approved revenue (not just emissions), node operators and wallets will earn recurring income tied to actual usage—turning a cost center into a revenue stream. Watch three signals: relay-fee governance proposals, operator onboarding, and Smart-Sessions traffic growth.
