Crypto fees drop 45% on average in 2026 as DEX fees crater over 50%

The cost of doing business in crypto has gotten a lot cheaper this year. Average crypto fees have fallen 44.6% year-to-date in 2026, with a median decline of 42.2%, according to an analysis published by CryptoRank on June 23. Decentralized exchanges bore the brunt: DEX fees plummeted 52.5%, landing at $1.10 billion for the year so far.

The numbers sector by sector

NFT marketplace fees collapsed by 82.5%. Whatever was left of the NFT fee engine after 2024’s cooldown has now mostly evaporated.

Layer 1 blockchains saw fees drop 26.2% to $1.60 billion. That’s the smallest decline in the bunch.

Derivatives fees fell 36.6% to $551 million. Lending fees declined 43.7% to $529 million. Liquid staking saw a 42.2% reduction to $503 million.