Move is again within the highlight—and never simply due to NBA High Shot. Messari’s newly launched Q1 2025 report reveals Move isn’t simply surviving the bear—it’s constructing, onboarding, and scaling with shocking momentum.
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In keeping with Messari, Move grew to become the fastest-growing Layer 1 ecosystem for developer progress in Q1, whereas hitting an all-time excessive TVL of $44.4M and driving $8.1M in NFT buying and selling quantity by means of main model platforms like NBA High Shot, NFL All Day, Disney, and Mattel.
Dev Progress + EVM = Actual Momentum
Let’s begin with the information: Move posted the #1 progress fee for weekly builders in Q1 throughout all L1s. With a median of 67.8 core contributors and a 26.5% bounce in weekly commits, the chain is clearly regaining developer mindshare. Move’s EVM surroundings, launched final 12 months with the Crescendo improve, is paying off—providing builders Solidity compatibility, lightning-fast 800ms block occasions, and sub-cent charges.
Hackathons additionally performed a giant function. January’s Move Asia Hackathon and February’s ETHGlobal Agentic Digital occasion sparked surges in transactions (peaking at 581K) and developer exercise—proving that Move can nonetheless activate the gasoline on the subject of builder engagement.
TVL Hits File Excessive as DeFi Takes Form
Move isn’t only a tradition chain anymore. Whole Worth Locked (TVL) surged 17.7% to $44.4 million, led by a brand new class of DeFi protocols like KittyPunch and MORE Markets. The outdated DeFi chief, Increment Finance, nonetheless holds the biggest pool—however KittyPunch’s StableKitty stableswap rocketed 585% QoQ, almost tying Increment’s dominance.
KittyPunch TVL: $19.2M (+585%)
MORE Markets: $3.9M (+631%)
Increment: $19.3M (down 32%)
Move is rapidly shedding its one-app popularity. The community is constructing out various DeFi tooling with Curve-style swaps, NFT-Fi marketplaces, liquid staking, and even DAO treasuries accumulating $FLOW.
Sports activities, IP & NFTs Nonetheless Dominate
Move’s bread and butter stays IP-backed digital property. Sports activities, collectibles, and licensed media drove nearly all of exercise:
NBA High Shot: $5.6M in Q1 quantity
NFL All Day: $2.5M
Metaverse Soccer League (MFL): $1.06M (+130% QoQ)
Scorching Wheels Storage V2: +85.7% QoQ
UFC Strike: $360K (+63% QoQ)
And with OpenSea’s integration going stay in Q1, NBA High Shot cracked the highest 5 trending collections for 4 straight weeks. That’s a giant milestone, not only for Move, however for the narrative round shopper NFTs in a post-hype market.
Cross-Chain Play Expands
Due to new integrations with LayerZero, Axelar, and deBridge, Move is now related to 100+ exterior networks. Wrapped USDC, PayPal’s PYUSD, and cross-chain swaps are actually stay—decreasing obstacles for brand spanking new customers and property to maneuver freely throughout ecosystems.
And with EVM equivalence in place, builders now not want to decide on between velocity, price, or composability. Move has quietly constructed one of the crucial full cross-chain experiences in the marketplace.
Tradition Meets Tech—Move’s Twin Identification
Whereas different L1s are chasing liquidity or memecoins, Move is prospering in a lane that’s equal elements leisure, tech, and shopper adoption. That’s a tricky stability, however it’s paying off:
144% bounce in each day lively wallets
10.6% enhance in each day transactions
Lively OpenSea ecosystem with mobile-first UX
Seamless onboarding for non-crypto natives (see: Disney’s digital pins and Seussibles)
Move’s EVM enlargement and DeFi ecosystem recommend a shift towards extra technical use circumstances, however the actual moat remains to be cultural—NBA, NFL, Barbie, Disney, and Dr. Seuss don’t simply deliver quantity, they carry belief.
The Backside Line
With EVM instruments, cross-chain bridges, NFT traction, and rising DeFi utility, Move is displaying what it appears to be like prefer to construct for each mainstream shoppers and crypto-native customers on the similar time. If Q1 is any indication, Move could be the most neglected contender heading into the following wave of adoption.
🔗 Dive deeper within the full Messari report
