It’s impossible to ignore what’s happening in crypto right now. From the launch of Bitcoin ETFs to the US passing the GENIUS Act for stablecoin regulation, 2024 has marked a turning point. Crypto is being embraced by regulators, adopted by institutions, and increasingly treated as financial infrastructure.
Beyond the buzz and volatility, a quieter, more strategic shift is playing out in a place you might not expect: the patent office.
In 2023, blockchain patent filings jumped nearly 40%. But the companies aren’t just experimenting with blockchain anymore. They’re racing to protect the tech powering digital wallets, cross-border payments, DeFi protocols and more. They’re building proprietary technologies turning crypto from a curiosity into a competitive edge.
And that’s what this article captures.
This article ranks the top 50 companies with the most cryptocurrency-related patents published over the last 5 years. It spans tech giants, blockchain pioneers and a few unexpected entrants, all shaping the architecture of tomorrow’s crypto economy.
We’ve also included the year-on-year percentage change between 2023 and 2024, to show who’s picking up pace and who’s easing off.
If you want to know where crypto is heading next, start by looking at who’s patenting it.
Top 50 Companies with Cryptocurrency Patents (2020 – 2025)
| Rank | Company | Headquarter Country | Published Patents (2020 – 2025) | Published Patents in 2023 | Published Patents in 2024 | YoY Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nchain Holdings Ltd | United Kingdom | 1308 | 261 | 278 | 0.065134 | |
| State Grid Corporation of China | China | 303 | 72 | 62 | -0.138889 | |
| IBM | United States | 260 | 77 | 46 | -0.402597 | |
| Intel | United States | 255 | 41 | 39 | -0.048780 | |
| Huawei | China | 197 | 41 | 34 | -0.170732 | |
| VISA | United States | 192 | 40 | 33 | -0.175000 | |
| Advanced New Technologies | China | 177 | 20 | 9 | -0.550000 | |
| Samsung | South Korea | 174 | 26 | 64 | 1.461538 | |
| Mastercard | United States | 150 | 18 | 47 | 1.611111 | |
| Microsoft | United States | 129 | 17 | 21 | 0.235294 | |
| China Telecom | China | 124 | 18 | 44 | 1.444444 | |
| Thales | France | 119 | 16 | 35 | 1.187500 | |
| Wells Fargo | United States | 112 | 24 | 29 | 0.208333 | |
| United States | 110 | 24 | 30 | 0.250000 | ||
| Capital One | United States | 108 | 7 | 37 | 4.285714 | |
| Siemens Ag | Germany | 101 | 10 | 16 | 0.600000 | |
| Coinbase | United States | 93 | 12 | 33 | 1.750000 | |
| Robert Bosch | Germany | 92 | 30 | 6 | -0.800000 | |
| Amazon | United States | 92 | 10 | 9 | -0.100000 | |
| Alipay | China | 91 | 11 | 5 | -0.545455 | |
| Micron Technology | United States | 88 | 15 | 15 | 0.000000 | |
| Sony Corp | Japan | 85 | 14 | 16 | 0.142857 | |
| Infineon Technologies | Germany | 84 | 14 | 18 | 0.285714 | |
| Fujitsu | Japan | 84 | 24 | 19 | -0.208333 | |
| Qualcomm | United States | 83 | 13 | 16 | 0.230769 | |
| Toshiba | Japan | 78 | 19 | 16 | -0.157895 | |
| Nec | Japan | 75 | 19 | 17 | -0.105263 | |
| NTT | Japan | 73 | 12 | 10 | -0.166667 | |
| NXP | Netherlands | 69 | 12 | 32 | 1.666667 | |
| Ruban Quantum Technology | China | 69 | 12 | 15 | 0.250000 | |
| Paypal | United States | 65 | 16 | 19 | 0.187500 | |
| Hangzhou Fuzamei Technology | China | 63 | 14 | 8 | -0.428571 | |
| Alibaba | China | 63 | 1 | 3 | 2.000000 | |
| Cisco | United States | 62 | 8 | 8 | 0.000000 | |
| Bank Of America | United States | 61 | 7 | 19 | 1.714286 | |
| American Express | United States | 60 | 10 | 18 | 0.800000 | |
| MicroBT | China | 59 | 15 | 6 | -0.600000 | |
| Tencent | China | 58 | 15 | 18 | 0.200000 | |
| Ericsson | Sweden | 57 | 9 | 13 | 0.444444 | |
| Apple | United States | 56 | 17 | 14 | -0.176471 | |
| Philips | Netherlands | 55 | 9 | 7 | -0.222222 | |
| Ant Blockchain | China | 55 | 13 | 12 | -0.076923 | |
| China Mobile Communications | China | 54 | 14 | 21 | 0.500000 | |
| Dell | United States | 51 | 6 | 9 | 0.500000 | |
| Webank | China | 48 | 9 | 8 | -0.111111 | |
| Kddi Corp | Japan | 44 | 4 | 25 | 5.250000 | |
| Shenzhen Bite Microelectronics Technology | China | 43 | 5 | 1 | -0.800000 | |
| Hitachi | Japan | 43 | 16 | 3 | -0.812500 | |
| Orum Therapeutics | United States | 42 | 12 | 18 | 0.500000 | |
| Hyperchain Technology | China | 42 | 9 | 15 | 0.66600 |