On-chain analytics firm Parsec is calling it quits after five years in the business — a sign that one slice of the crypto tool market no longer needs matched traders.
Its CEO, Will Sheehan, summed it up plainly: the firm had been building for a version of crypto that stopped showing up in the same way.
“Parsec is shutting down,” the company disclosed Thursday. “The market zigged while we zagged a few too many times,” Sheehan said.
Shift In On-Chain Demand
Parsec’s focus on decentralized finance and collectibles left it exposed when user behavior shifted. NFT volumes dropped.
Reports say sales fell to about $5.63 billion in 2025, a 37% decline from close to $9 billion the year before, and average prices slid from $124 to $96, according to CryptoSlam.
That kind of pullback makes running a niche analytics product harder, especially when fewer people chase quick gains.
End of the road for parsec I’m afraid. The market zigged while we zagged a few too many times
A little parsec lore for posterity, In early 2020 I started charting uniswap *v1* charts as a side project, this spiraled into a full blown DeFi terminal during DeFi summer and into the… https://t.co/5gmHng5BIU
— Will Sheehan (@wilburforce_) February 19, 2026
Some Support, Not A Lifeline
The startup had serious backers at launch in early 2021. Investors included Uniswap, Polychain Capital, and Galaxy Digital. That credibility mattered, but it didn’t guarantee a steady market.
After the collapse of FTX, certain types of high-risk borrowing and margin activity never came back in the same way, and trading patterns changed.
Funding And Timing Didn’t Guarantee Survival
The space is crowded now. Large platforms offer analytics at scale while a handful of focused tools try to keep specialist users. Nansen’s leader, Alex Svanevik, said Parse “had a great run,” which felt like more than a polite line; it was a recognition that building for boom times can leave you exposed when flows cool.
Around the same time, other startups have pulled back. Reports say Entropy is also winding downand Tom Farley predicted a wave of consolidation as money and users concentrate in fewer places.
Crypto Price Action
Midway through this market pause, Bitcoin has been running a cautious pattern. It has slid under key levels and then found pockets of support.
Geopolitical headlines have nudged traders towards safety at times, leaving thin trading windows where prices can swing more than usual. The result is a quieter trading picture for speculative niches, which depend on bold bets and deep liquidity.
What Comes Next For The Sector
What happens now will be practical. Some niche tools will be bought, others will close, and a few will be retooled to serve large clients or different data needs.
The move is not an end for DeFi or collectibles; they are still active, but they are smaller and more particular in who uses them.
Capital is choosier. Products built around the loudest moments of the past cycle are being tested in a calmer market.
In short, this is a reset. A handful of firms will be absorbed, some ideas will be reworked, and many teams will have to prove their fit with the current set of users. Those who can match where the flows actually are will have the best chance to keep running.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
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