Today, thousands of cryptocurrencies exist and are often compared mainly by their market value. But one essential question remains difficult to measure: which ones are actually used in everyday life?
The CoinAdoptionScore project provides an indicator that helps observe the commercial adoption of different digital currencies and compare their real-world usage with their financial valuation.
#Why measure real adoption?
The price of a cryptocurrency does not necessarily reflect its actual use.
A currency may have a high market value while being rarely used to purchase goods and services. Conversely, a less well-known currency may have a stronger presence in everyday transactions.
CoinAdoptionScore aims to provide another perspective:
- How many businesses accept this currency?
- How is it actually used?
- Does its adoption match its current market valuation?
#How does the score work?
The CoinAdoptionScore principle is based on a comparison between:
- the number of merchants accepting a cryptocurrency;
- its market capitalization.
The goal is to create a relative adoption indicator: a currency with many accepting merchants compared to its market value receives a higher score.
The data used comes in particular from open sources such as OpenStreetMap for merchant listings.
#What does this tool provide?
CoinAdoptionScore allows users to:
- compare different cryptocurrencies based on their commercial usage;
- track the evolution of their adoption;
- distinguish real-world usage from pure speculation;
- highlight projects that are used as actual means of exchange.
The goal is to provide additional information alongside traditional financial indicators.
#A different perspective on cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies are often evaluated only through:
- their price;
- their market capitalization;
- their trading volume.
But a currency is also a tool for exchange.
For the Bank-Exit collective, adoption by users and merchants is an essential factor: a currency reaches its full purpose when it can be used concretely in everyday life.
#A project connected to the real economy
CoinAdoptionScore is part of a broader effort to encourage the practical use of digital currencies.
Alongside the Collective’s merchant map, this tool helps provide a better understanding of how cryptocurrency payment ecosystems are developing.
It highlights the people and businesses building an alternative economy based on direct exchanges between users and professionals.
This article was generated with AI assistance from the Collective created plan or script, then reviewed before publication.
