The cryptocurrency industry is expected to contribute approximately $55 billion to the United States economy in 2026 through salaries, worker spending, and output, according to research from the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA), an organization backed by Ripple Labs.

A report released on Wednesday by the Pragmatic Policy Group on behalf of the NCA calculated the total economic contribution based on direct, indirect, and induced employment across the industry. The full report (PDF) breaks down sector-level impacts. As an industry-funded study commissioned by an advocacy group founded by Ripple, the figures represent the sector's own assessment of its economic footprint, arriving amid ongoing debates in Washington over digital asset regulation and the scope of crypto's role in the broader economy.

Among the sectors benefiting most from crypto-related economic activity, investments in securities and commodity contracts accounted for $9.7 billion, while housing and real estate combined reached $4.8 billion.

The research found that approximately 34,000 people in the US were directly employed by crypto companies, representing a portion of the 232,000 jobs the industry supported across the broader economy. Based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, direct crypto employment now exceeds headcounts in both the coffee and tea manufacturing and aerospace industries.

Among individual states, Texas, Washington, North Carolina, California, and New York employed the most people in the sector. Colorado was identified as a "growing blockchain hub" owing to favorable regulatory policies. North Dakota was described as "becoming an energy-integrated digital infrastructure hub" due to tax laws supportive of crypto mining and advantageous flare gas policies.

The NCA launched in March 2025 as a nonprofit focused on consumer crypto education, backed by $50 million in funding from Ripple. Stuart Alderoty, Ripple's chief legal officer, leads the organization.

Industry Shutdowns in 2026

The employment and economic contribution figures contrast with a wave of project closures during the same year, illustrating the dual trajectory of industry expansion and attrition as the sector matures.

Several digital asset projects announced closures during the year, citing scaling challenges and difficult market conditions.

Entropy, a New York-based crypto startup, announced in January that it would shut down after four years of operation. Dmail, a decentralized email platform based in Singapore, began winding down operations in May, citing costs related to bandwidth, storage, and computing. Decentralized autonomous organization governance platform Tally and Balancer Labs also ceased operations in March.