The global cryptocurrency sector is entering another major reset, with more than 20 blockchain projects already shutting down or winding down operations in the first three months of 2026, as falling liquidity, rising costs and changing market trends squeeze weaker players out of the industry.
The closures cut across several parts of the crypto ecosystem, including decentralised finance (DeFi), non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces, crypto analytics firms, exchanges and even large-scale Bitcoin mining operations.
While previous downturns were
