Bitcoin network activity has been trending up, reaching levels not seen since 2024. According to CryptoQuant, transaction counts have been steadily rising since January 2026, now just 7% below the all-time high recorded in September 2024. However, the economic value of these transactions is notably small. Transactions of less than 0.01 BTC and 0.001 BTC collectively represent about 80% of daily transactions, up from 44% in 2023. This is attributed to protocol-driven activity, such as Bitcoin NFTs and timestamping services using OP_RETURN fields, which generate high volumes of dust-value transactions. Despite increased transaction counts, Bitcoin's price has declined 17% in the last 30 days to $63,865.

Key facts

• Bitcoin transaction counts hit near-record highs, just 7% below September 2024 peak.
• Small transactions (<0.01 BTC and <0.001 BTC) now constitute ~80% of daily activity.
• Protocol-driven activities like NFTs and timestamping drive low-value transaction surge.
• OP_RETURN usage spikes to near-record levels in 2026, enabling data embedding.
• Bitcoin price down 17% in 30 days, trading at $63,865 despite network activity rise.

KeyAudit data perspective