WalletConnect started in 2018 as a simple answer to a thorny problem: how to securely connect crypto wallets and decentralized apps without forcing users into browser extensions or clunky workflows. In its early days, the QR-code handshake was revolutionary: developers and users could finally interact smoothly. That simple idea laid the foundation for what WalletConnect is today—critical infrastructure for Web3.
Fast forward to 2024, and the numbers tell a story of massive growth. WalletConnect facilitated over 150 million connections, across more than 600 wallets and 40,000 apps, serving more than 23 million users. These figures reflect how deeply embedded it is in how people actually experience Web3. Supporting multiple blockchains—EVM, Solana, Cosmos, Polkadot, Bitcoin, and more—WalletConnect has evolved from being just a tool to becoming the backbone of decentralized identity, finance, and user experience.
WCT Token & Decentralization: From Vision to Utility
A major inflection point came with the launch of the WalletConnect Token (WCT) in late 2024. The design of WCT shows careful thinking: it isn’t just another token, but a lever for governance, incentives, security, and community ownership. For example, 18.5% of the total supply is allocated for airdrops to users and contributors, with the first season distributing 50 million WCT. There’s also staking, node operator rewards, and governance rights built in. The total cap is 1 billion WCT tokens.
While WCT has been launched, its tokens are initially not fully transferable. This approach allows time for governance testing, staking experiments, and performance incentives, while aligning long-term sustainability. Transferability and further decentralization are expected to roll out gradually under community governance, ensuring the network matures responsibly.
What’s Coming Next: Roadmap & What to Watch
Looking ahead, the roadmap is pushing WalletConnect deeper into decentralization, scalability, and mainstream usability. Some of the near-term themes include:
Multichain expansion: WCT is being extended to more blockchains, including Solana, where active users have already received a Solana-based WCT airdrop. This broadens both liquidity and adoption.
Governance in action: WCT holders will increasingly shape decisions—on fees, node operations, gateway access, and the transition toward a permissionless network.
Improving UX: Features like “one-click auth,” stronger SDKs (WalletKit, AppKit), seamless app-wallet interaction, and reduced complexity in gas and cross-chain activity are part of the pipeline.
Conclusion: Why WalletConnect’s Journey Matters
What makes WalletConnect’s story compelling is its consistency: solve a real user experience problem, scale quietly but deeply, then layer in governance and community. It didn’t just get used—it became essential. The launch of WCT isn’t about hype; it’s about transforming a service into infrastructure governed and operated by its community.
As WalletConnect evolves, the critical markers to watch will be governance participation by WCT holders, network performance across multiple chains, and the success of its transition to a permissionless model. Its trajectory suggests that WalletConnect may not just remain a connector but evolve into the connective tissue of the financial internet—becoming invisible by design, yet indispensable in practice.
