Base Active Addresses Surge 49.9% During GMGN Trading Contest as Network Fees Decline
Base recorded a sharp increase in daily active addresses on October 22, 2026, as activity climbed during a GMGN trading competition that required participants to register newly created wallets. Data from Growthepie showed 943,277 active addresses that day, up 49.9% from the previous session, even as user-paid fees and transaction counts declined.
The increase coincided with GMGN's $20,000 trading contest on Base, which began on October 21 and runs through October 26. Because participants must use wallets with no previous funds, holdings or trading history, the competition may have contributed to the rise in the network's active-address count. However, available chain-wide data does not establish how much of the increase came from contest participants.
Base Active Addresses Reach a 30-Day High
Growthepie data showed active addresses had already climbed 82.5% to 629,142 on October 21. The following day, the count reached 943,277, making it the highest reading in the 30 days since September 23 and 167.6% above the previous seven-day median of 352,544.
Transaction activity moved in the opposite direction. Growthepie recorded 10.49 million transactions on October 21, followed by 9.58 million on October 22, a decline of 8.6%. BaseScan's daily export showed a similar pattern, with transactions falling from approximately 10.53 million to 9.63 million.
User-paid fees also weakened. After reaching about $113,703 on October 21, fees fell 20% to approximately $91,059 the next day. The figures indicate that the rise in active addresses did not coincide with higher transaction volume or increased fees paid by users.
The surge began to fade on October 23. Active addresses dropped 38% to 584,540, although the count remained 65.8% above the pre-surge median. User-paid fees declined a further 19.8% to around $73,062, while transactions eased to 8.87 million.
GMGN Contest Requires Newly Created Wallets
GMGN announced its Base trading competition on October 21, offering a $20,000 prize to the winner. The contest is scheduled to end on October 26. Base promoted the competition on October 22, when the network's active-address count reached its peak.
Under GMGN's rules, entrants must register wallets with no funds, holdings or trading history. Only trades made through GMGN using registered wallets qualify for the competition. Starting capital is capped at $2,000, and each participant is limited to one entry.
These requirements mean participants must create new wallet addresses to compete. Because active-address metrics count addresses that send transactions, contest-related activity can contribute to the network's daily total even when it does not necessarily represent an equivalent increase in unique users.
The rules also prohibit wash trading and coordinated trading between participants. Nevertheless, aggregate blockchain data does not identify what proportion of the October 22 increase came from competition wallets.
Active Addresses Do Not Always Reflect Organic Growth
Growthepie tracks distinct addresses that send transactions each day and has warned that Sybil wallets can inflate active-address figures during campaigns and airdrops. The data provider describes active addresses as one of the most contentious blockchain metrics, noting that a single person can control multiple wallets.
Growthepie recommends examining wallet activity alongside chain revenue rather than treating address counts as a standalone measure of network adoption. In Base's case, fees paid by users declined on both October 22 and October 23, despite the temporary increase in active addresses.
Questions about the quality of Base's reported activity have also emerged in discussions of x402 transactions. Cryptopolitan reported on October 15 that Chainalysis had recorded more than 138 million x402 transactions on Base.
TRM Labs estimated that agents accounted for only 0.6% to 7.5% of the x402 transactions it screened. Separately, analysts from Artemis and a16z said 48% of transactions and 81% of volume in December 2025 were gamed. These figures relate to x402 activity and do not, by themselves, establish the cause of the latest increase in Base's active addresses.
source: cryptopolitan
Writer: Ethan Collins
Crypto Journalist
Ethan Collins reports on developments across the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector. His work covers market movements, protocol updates, regulatory changes, and emerging trends in digital assets.
He focuses on presenting complex topics in a clear and accessible manner for a broad readership.
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