WalletConnect: From Connection Protocol to Decentralized User Experience Layer

In the context of Web3 entering 2025, if we only view @WalletConnect as "a code scanning tool to connect wallets," it is no longer sufficient to understand its strategic importance. Two major recent events — $WCT deployment on Base and the official list on Coinbase — have elevated the entire narrative to a new level. We are witnessing a connecting infrastructure protocol gradually upgrading to a "decentralized user experience layer," opening up entirely new logic for building and operating Web3 applications.

1. Two major boosts: Base and Coinbase WCT is deployed on Base (16/9/2025): Base is a high-frequency, low-cost L2. The presence of WCT here helps users access tokens in a friendly, fast, and cheap environment; at the same time, developers also have an incentive mechanism closely aligned with real demand. Coinbase supports trading (8/2025): Coinbase is well-known for its compliance and strong liquidity. When WCT is listed, it not only facilitates easy trading but also reinforces its legitimacy in the eyes of institutions. These two events create the effect of "distribution infrastructure + payment infrastructure", expanding the scale of on-chain users while enhancing reliability and liquidity. This is often a key factor in driving valuation and the rate of network adoption.
2. Brand repositioning: WalletConnect → Reown Starting in 2024, the #WalletConnect team has officially transitioned to the Reown brand. This is not just a name change, but a strategic shift in focus: AppKit: A toolkit for dApps, allowing for a one-time integration of 500+ wallets, supporting login via email/social media, creating wallets without a seed phrase, and maintaining sessions across multiple devices. WalletKit: SDK for wallets, supporting API standardization, EIP-5792, and long-term session management. If WalletConnect was previously the "cable connection layer", now Reown wants to become the "experience platform" — ensuring seamless, convenient, and stable for both users and developers.
3. Technological advancements: Sign v2, EIP-5792, and Notify API Three outstanding innovations shaping the future of Reown: Sign v2 & multi-chain: Separate the pairing process and session management, supporting chain-independent protocols. This reduces the burden on developers and enhances a smoother experience for users. EIP-5792: Allows dApps to send batch orders, users only need to confirm once. This is an important tool to reduce the dropout rate in games, NFT minting, or multi-step governance. Smart Session & Link Mode: Support for maintaining continuous login status across multiple devices. With high-frequency activities such as trading or DAO governance, this feature is extremely valuable.Notify API: dApps can send notifications directly to users' wallets: reminders for DAO voting, liquidation risk alerts, or NFT updates. Wallets have now become the center of personal information in Web3.
4. From "it's okay to have" to "it must be present" According to statistics for May 2025, WalletConnect recorded over 2.9 billion cumulative connections and 45 million active wallets monthly. Some sources report the number exceeding 3 billion connections in June. This shows that WalletConnect is no longer an "optional choice", but has become the default standard in Web3. For developers, this is a mandatory tool for compatibility; for users, this is the "universal key" to interact with any wallet.
5. Tokenomics: WCT and four core roles The model of WCT is designed around four functions: Safety: staking and participating in the network to ensure stability. Incentives: rewards for nodes, developers, and infrastructure contributions. Fees: used as a payment unit for certain network functions. Governance: voting rights for the community in adjusting parameters and direction. Maximum supply: 1 billion WCT, currently circulating about 186.2 million. With the expansion of Base and being listed on Coinbase, WCT has transitioned from a "symbolic token" to a real tool operating the network.
6. Costs & performance: when the "conversion rate" becomes an infrastructure factor. WalletConnect/Reown is rewriting the UX perspective by optimizing the "conversion rate" directly within the protocol: Developers save integration costs (1 times, 500+ wallets). Users operate faster thanks to batch transactions. A seamless experience across multiple devices ensures no interruptions. All of this leads to the ultimate consequences: reduced churn, increased retention, increased completion rates — figures that are critical for any Web3 product.
7. Risks and compliance issues There is no perfect infrastructure from the beginning: Relay availability: the distributed forwarding network needs an upgrade to prevent overload. Privacy: Notify API must rely on clear user consent. Safe batch call: overly broad permissions can have significant consequences if exploited. These issues will require the community, devs, and the team to address them through governance mechanisms and audits.
8. Commercialization process WalletConnect is shaping a value chain around user retention: Web3Inbox: official notification service. One-click login: reducing barriers for users from Web2. Multi-device session: keeping governance, transactions, and entertainment uninterrupted. This proves that WalletConnect is no longer just a connection infrastructure, but a UX platform that can independently exploit commercial value.
9. Personal perspective and strategy Short term: benefit from Coinbase + Base, ensure liquidity and spotlight. Medium term: new technologies like EIP-5792 and Notify API improve user metrics. Long term: as default connections become the UX foundation, WCT will be at the center of infrastructure value. I will continue to closely follow and prioritize my position in the WalletConnect ecosystem, especially as the market is re-evaluating network infrastructures.
10. Conclusion: Whoever holds the "default gateway" holds Web3 From QR code scanning to batch transactions, from login sessions to cross-device experiences, WalletConnect has demonstrated a very solid evolution roadmap. It is no longer just a "convenient tool," but is becoming the standard for connection and experience in Web3. And it is precisely $WCT that tokenizes the economic value as well as the governance of this "default gateway." In the era of decentralized Internet, whoever controls the default gateway controls the users. WalletConnect is gradually stepping into that position.