As blockchains proliferated, a simple truth emerged: without a universal way for wallets to speak to apps, adoption stalls. Launched in 2018, WalletConnect solved that by offering an open, encrypted bridge across ecosystems. It’s not a wallet—it’s the protocol that lets any supported wallet connect to countless dApps via QR or deep link, keeping keys safely in the wallet while apps request signed actions.
The impact is visible in the numbers: support across 600+ wallets, 65,000+ dApps, and hundreds of millions of secure sessions touching nearly 50 million users. With the WalletConnect Network and WCT, that foundation adds decentralization and incentives: token-governed direction, staking for participation, and rewards for the infrastructure that keeps the lights on. WCT lives on Optimism and Solana today, with multi-chain reach aligned to where users already are.
Why it matters: standardization slashes integration overhead. Instead of every dApp hand-coding for every wallet, teams integrate once and gain broad compatibility—fueling DeFi, NFTs, gaming, payments, and DAO participation. Core advantages include chain-agnostic support, end-to-end encryption, mobile-friendly UX, and open-source extensibility. Risks exist—scaling, phishing, competitive protocols, evolving regulation—but the moat is real adoption and a growing incentive layer.
Looking ahead, expect deeper mobile experiences, more chains, enterprise-grade features, and community-driven governance as WCT holders help set priorities. New use cases—from identity and notifications to real-world assets—can ride the same reliable connection rails. In short: WalletConnect has become the default handshake of Web3; with WCT, that handshake becomes community-owned, resilient, and built to scale.