Blockchain Beyond 2024: Trends, Insights, and Predictions for 2025

The blockchain world is heating up as we head into 2025! Institutional adoption is booming, innovations are on fire, and regulations are finally catching up. At the same time, the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs was a game-changer, restoring liquidity and confidence in the market. 

Our R&D team has analyzed the most impactful developments of 2024 to provide a comprehensive overview of how these trends shaped the industry. From the rise of liquid staking and layer 2 solutions to the evolution of stablecoins and their growing role in global finance, we’ll unpack the key events that set the stage for 2025. 

Buckle up; we’re going to analyze all the major crypto moments!

Key Insights & Takeaways 

2024 was a game-changing year for blockchain, setting the stage for even greater advancements in 2025. Institutional adoption soared, regulations became clearer, and groundbreaking innovations reshaped the crypto landscape. As we look ahead, here’s what’s in store for the blockchain world in 2025:

• Bitcoin ETFs Leading the Charge: Spot Bitcoin ETFs became major holders of BTC, driving institutional interest and reshaping the financial narrative.
• Ethereum Scaling Up: Layer 2 solutions and the Dencun upgrade are slashing costs, with over 200 projects exploring zero-knowledge (ZK) rollups.
• Liquid Staking Boom: Protocols like EigenLayer and Babylon are redefining network security and efficiency, with restaking ecosystems projected to grow rapidly.
• Real-World Assets on Blockchain: Tokenization of real estate, bonds, and commodities is gaining momentum, bringing traditional finance closer to crypto.
• Solana’s Comeback: Private funding hit record highs, user activity soared, and the network solidified its position with memecoin trading and NFT innovations.
• AI Meets Blockchain: AI and blockchain are merging to revolutionize data integrity, decentralized computation, and user experiences in finance and beyond.
• DePIN and Decentralized Storage: Infrastructure solutions are addressing real-world needs with improved efficiency, security, and energy optimization.
• Cross-Chain Seamlessness: Interoperability is becoming the norm, with innovations like Particle Network simplifying blockchain interactions.
• DeFi Revival: Lower Ethereum fees and enhanced financial products are making DeFi more accessible, ushering in the next wave of decentralized finance.
• Global Regulatory Progress: The EU, UK, and Asia-Pacific are in charge of creating crypto-friendly regulations, while the U.S. anticipates potential positive shifts under new leadership.

2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year, but before discussing upcoming trends, we want to show you how this year has taken us to new heights. 

The 2024 Journey: From Recovery to Innovation

2024 marked a significant turnaround for the crypto industry, setting the stage for renewed growth and innovation. Building on the bull market that began in mid-2023, the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024 served as a watershed moment, bringing institutional confidence and liquidity back into the market. 

Let’s dive into the key highlights that defined this transformative year.

Bitcoin ETF Impact

The introduction and rapid adoption of spot Bitcoin ETFs emerged as a game-changer in 2024. These financial products positioned ETFs among the largest holders of Bitcoin, collectively accounting for around 4.5% of the total circulating supply. This surge in institutional interest further cemented Bitcoin’s reputation as a valuable and viable financial asset.

Remarkably, Bitcoin’s growth even sparked political discussions in the United States, with some suggesting it could help address the $35 trillion national debt. While the practicality of this proposal remains questionable due to the rapid pace of debt accumulation, it highlights Bitcoin’s growing influence in mainstream economic discourse.

Progress and Challenges

Regulations got a serious upgrade in 2024, clearing the way for institutions to jump in.

• USA: The anticipation of a new administration in 2025 sparked optimism for more crypto-friendly policies, but 2024 itself saw significant groundwork laid. Discussions centered around strategic Bitcoin reserves and stablecoin regulations, with stablecoin issuers emerging as key players in the U.S. financial system. Holding $125 billion in Treasuries, they became the 18th largest holders of U.S. debt, highlighting the increasing integration of digital assets into traditional financial structures.
• EU & UK: The European Union and the United Kingdom led the charge with advancements in regulatory frameworks for stablecoins and staking services. These efforts underscored their commitment to fostering innovation while maintaining financial stability. This progress solidified their leadership in providing a structured, business-friendly environment for crypto markets.

While progress was significant, concerns about scalability, exit liquidity for institutions, and fragmented global policies remain pressing challenges for the industry.

The Rise of Liquid Staking and Restaking

2024 saw liquid staking and restaking take off like never before. Protocols like EigenLayer, Symbiotic, Karak, and Babylon let validators secure multiple networks at once, boosting efficiency and security.

Protocol	Ecosystem	TVL ($B)	AVSs	Users
EigenLayer	Ethereum	15.5	21	21,808
Symbiotic	Ethereum	2.2	29 (testnet)	TBD
Karak	Ethereum	0.85	8 (testnet)	TBD
Solayer	Solana	0.36	5	93,569
Jito Restaking	Solana	0.05	TBD	TBD

The restaking ecosystem is expanding rapidly, with projections suggesting up to 400 AVSs (Actively Validated Services) by the end of 2025. However, many of these protocols are still in development, with challenges such as efficient validator coordination and practical user benefits remaining key areas to address.

Layer 2 Solutions

Layer 2 (L2) solutions continued to thrive, offering scalable and cost-efficient transaction processing for Ethereum. The Dencun upgrade significantly reduced transaction costs, propelling L2 adoption.

However, the high costs of zero-knowledge proof (ZK) generation have become a bottleneck, requiring innovative solutions for broader adoption. Over 200 projects actively develop ZK technologies, emphasizing their pivotal role in blockchain scalability.

Ethereum: Staking Goes Mainstream

Since Ethereum’s shift to Proof-of-Stake (PoS), staking has taken off:

• Staked ETH: Increased by 2.5x from 14 million to 35 million.
• Validators: Grew by over 2.5x, rising from 400,000 to 1.1 million.

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As the crypto industry matures, staking has become a critical strategy for institutional investors. Currently, about 28.38% of Ethereum’s total supply (or 34.2 million ETH) is staked across 1.1 million on-chain validators.

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Institutional staking participation reached new heights in 2024, with 70% of Ethereum-holding institutions staking. Notably, over half of these opted for liquid staking solutions, reflecting a growing demand for flexible and yield-generating opportunities.

Solana: A Year Of Growth

Solana crushed it in 2024! Private funding hit $173 million in Q3, with $103 million coming in September alone. Big players like Hamilton Lane, Franklin Templeton, and BlackRock are all in on Solana’s tokenized assets.

• Active Addresses: Peaked at 7 million in November 2024, driven by a memecoin NFT frenzy.
• Low Fees, High Volume: $260 million in fees over six months, with transactions costing just $0.02 each.

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DEX activity surged in 2024, driven by memecoin trading:

• Q1 2024 saw a peak in trading activity.
• Activity rebounded in Q4 2024.

Solana’s stablecoin market cap reached $3.8 billion, placing the network fifth among all blockchains.

Restaking gained traction in the Solana ecosystem:

• Jito is set to launch its restaking platform with a current TVL of $50 million across three LRT protocols.
• Solayer is already live, boasting a TVL of ~$390 million.

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Asia-Pacific Rising

The Asia-Pacific region is becoming a cornerstone of crypto development, driven by a strong developer and investor community. Blockchain adoption in this region surged, with Solana alone accounting for 100 million active addresses out of the 220 million blockchain addresses interacting globally by September 2024.

Projects in this region often tailor their offerings to local preferences, making flexibility and market research crucial for success.

Investment Landscape in 2024

The year 2024 was notable for significant investment activity in the crypto market. The approval of Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs provided much-needed liquidity and re-established confidence in the market. This led to a strong connection between the primary and secondary markets, boosting investor participation.

In the first three quarters of 2024, funding trends reflected this renewed optimism:

• Q1 2024: $2.545 billion was raised, marking a modest increase of 0.76%.
• Q2 2024: Investments climbed to $2.75 billion, an increase of 8.05% over Q1.
• Q3 2024: Funding slightly decreased to $2.406 billion, a 13% drop compared to Q2.

Despite these fluctuations, the market demonstrated resilience, achieving an annual growth rate of 26.05%. This shows that while short-term volatility persists, long-term confidence remains strong.

Top Venture Capital Firms

Leading venture capital firms in the crypto space have played a crucial role in supporting innovation. Heavyweights like a16z, Binance Labs, and Polychain led the charge by backing projects in trending sectors such as Real-World Assets (RWA), DeFi, privacy protocols, and cross-chain interoperability.

These firms are not just funding projects; they are actively driving innovation and influencing the direction of the industry. Their strategic investments are likely to shape the trends we see in 2025 as they continue to identify and support the most promising technologies.

The 4th Wave of Web3 Innovation

The crypto industry is experiencing what can be called the 4th wave of Web3 innovation. The rise of non-EVM MemeCoins, BRC20, AIGC, and RWA assets defines this wave.

Widespread adoption has been slow. This has kept the primary market from reaching the heights of Bitcoin’s performance. The key to growth lies in identifying assets that appeal to both investors and retail users, who are the main drivers of capital inflows.

The trading structure of the crypto investment market revealed several key trends:

• Over 54.9% of institutions remained inactive, indicating cautious behavior amid market uncertainties.
• Only 12% of projects managed to secure two or more funding rounds, highlighting the challenges in obtaining sustained financial backing.
• The average amount raised per funding round increased marginally by 0.62% ($53,139) compared to 2023, reflecting a stagnation in capital inflow growth.

Despite these challenges, the primary market exhibited a noticeable “head effect,” where most institutional investors chose to remain on the sidelines, awaiting clearer market signals or more innovative projects before significant investments.

Key Investment Highlights

In 2024, there were 1,459 financing events in the crypto space:

• 1 Round of Funding: 1,283 projects.
• 2 Rounds of Funding: 149 projects.
• 3 or More Rounds: 27 projects.

Compared to the period between 2021 and 2022, these numbers indicate a drop of 27.7% to 30%. However, when compared to 2022-2023, there was a positive trend, with increases ranging from 7.6% to 86.3%.

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The most funded sectors were:

• Infrastructure Solutions: Raised over $4.2 billion.
• DeFi: Attracted more than $1.4 billion in investments.

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Leading Ecosystems and Projects

Several blockchain ecosystems stood out in 2024:

• Ethereum: Continued to dominate with 2,562 active projects.
• Solana: Recovered impressively from the FTX collapse, hosting 823 projects.
• Bitcoin Ecosystem: Gained momentum with 383 projects.
• TON (Telegram Open Network): Showed growth with 141 projects.
• Base: Emerged as the fastest-growing Layer 2 solution, launching 428 projects and achieving a TVL of $3.6 billion.

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These ecosystems reflect the diverse and evolving nature of blockchain development, each with its unique strengths and growth trajectories.

Notable Funding Rounds and Trends

In 2024, several major funding deals underscored investor confidence in the crypto industry:

• Monad: Raised $225 million in April 2024, valuing the project at $3 billion.
• Celestia: Secured $100 million through an OTC deal in September 2024.

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These large investments highlight a trend where infrastructure projects and innovative blockchain solutions continue to attract significant capital.

Looking Ahead to 2025

The survey conducted by CoinFund offers a glimpse into the ambitious plans of crypto companies as they gear up for 2025. With 70.5% of companies planning to raise capital, including 20.5% aiming for over $25 million, the industry is clearly in a build-and-scale phase.

Key highlights include:

• Nearly 79.5% of companies plan to expand their teams, focusing on product and engineering roles (88.6%), followed by business development and sales roles (82.9%).
• Areas such as consumer apps, DeFi, Web 3.0 adaptation, and real-world assets (RWA) are expected to lead Web3 expansion in 2025.
• A staggering 77.2% of founders believe that crypto will launch a breakthrough app in 2025, with top predictions being gaming, payments, and DeFi.

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This optimistic outlook underscores a pivotal year ahead for Web3, where disruptive innovation and strategic scaling could redefine the industry landscape. 

Top 12 Crypto Trends to Watch in 2025

The crypto world is growing fast, and keeping up with the latest trends is essential for staying ahead. As we head into 2025, our expert R&D team, led by Anna Petrenko, highlights several exciting shifts that are on the horizon. 

While some sectors like Layer 2, GameFi, and NFTs might face challenges due to stagnation, other areas are set to shine. Let’s explore the key trends that will shape the next year!

1. Bitcoin Ecosystem: Staking and Liquid Staking on the Rise

Bitcoin remains a cornerstone of the crypto market, and its ecosystem continues to expand with groundbreaking advancements:

• Bitcoin Staking: The launch of Babylon’s mainnet introduced Bitcoin staking, offering BTC holders the chance to earn additional yield. Though still in its early stages, the first Babylon rewards are expected by Q1 2025.
• Liquid Staking: Emerging protocols are enabling BTC holders to participate in DeFi and connect with other blockchain networks.

While the Bitcoin staking space shows promising growth, many projects are still in development, indicating untapped potential for 2025.

2. Crypto Meets Traditional Finance: Convergence and Integration

The line between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) is blurring. In 2025, expect more financial institutions to incorporate crypto services such as:

• Crypto Custody: Secure storage of digital assets by banks.
• Crypto-Backed Lending: Loans against crypto holdings.
• Staking Services: Institutional-grade staking for clients.

Visa and Mastercard are already integrating crypto solutions, and this trend is set to accelerate. This convergence will make crypto more accessible and seamlessly integrated into everyday financial activities.

3. Real-World Assets: Unlocking Real-World Value

The tokenization of RWA is poised to be a dominant theme in 2025. Key drivers include:

• Increased Adoption: Traditional finance institutions are exploring blockchain solutions for tokenizing real estate, bonds, and commodities.
• Regulatory Clarity: Improved regulations in major markets will attract institutional capital and boost trust in RWAs.

With growing interest from institutional investors and alignment with DeFi, RWAs are set to transform how real-world value is accessed and managed in the digital economy.

4. Fully Homomorphic Encryption: The Future of Confidential Computing

FHE is gaining momentum as a groundbreaking trend in confidential computing. This technology enables computations to be performed directly on encrypted data, ensuring:

• Privacy: Data remains encrypted throughout the process.
• Security: Sensitive information is never exposed.

While similar to zero-knowledge (zk) proofs, FHE offers unique capabilities that are essential for mass crypto adoption. In 2025, expect to see more FHE-based blockchain projects addressing real-world use cases and enhancing privacy workflows.

5. AI & Crypto: A Perfect Pair

AI took the spotlight in 2024, capturing 35% of U.S. startup investments (Crunchbase). AI and blockchain are teaming up to solve major challenges. Here’s how blockchain boosts AI:

1. Data Integrity: Ensures authentic, tamper-proof data for AI training.
2. Decentralized Storage: Secure, cost-effective alternatives to centralized options.
3. Decentralized AI Compute: Reduces costs by using idle computing power.

As AI integrates deeper with DeFi, cybersecurity, and data privacy, the fusion of AI and crypto will open new opportunities and solve existing challenges.

2025 is set to be a transformative year for the crypto. From the expansion of the Bitcoin ecosystem and the tokenization of real-world assets to the convergence of AI and blockchain, these trends promise to reshape the market. 

6. DePIN: Physical and Digital Infrastructure

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) use blockchain to create decentralized solutions for real-world applications. Despite challenges like regulatory hurdles and competition from Web2 firms, DePIN is gaining momentum:

• $568 million in funding in 2024, with over 1,500 projects exceeding a $50 billion market cap.

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• AI-Driven Projects: Nearly half of the top-funded DePIN initiatives in 2024 focused on AI.
• Global Hubs: The U.S. leads DePIN innovation, followed by Singapore and the UK.

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DePIN addresses the growing demand for affordable infrastructure and offers promising solutions for the digital economy.

7. Decentralized Storage: Secure, Efficient, and Resilient

Centralized storage faces increasing threats, with over 1 billion records breached in 2024 alone. Decentralized storage offers a resilient alternative:

• No Single Point of Failure: Data is replicated across nodes, reducing cyberattack risks.
• Energy Efficiency: Distributed storage consumes less energy compared to centralized data centers.
• Advanced Security: Technologies like multi-party computation (MPC) and zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs)enhance data protection.

Innovations like dynamic sharding optimize performance by adjusting data distribution in real-time, minimizing data loss risks.

8. PayFi: Instant, Programmable Finance

PayFi, introduced by Solana, enables instant settlements and automated payments using smart contracts. By leveraging RWAs and DeFi, PayFi allows users to:

• Cover daily expenses with revenue from lending protocols.
• Optimize capital usage while preserving their main assets.

PayFi could revolutionize cross-border payments, DeFi apps, and real-world financial flows.

9. SocialFi: Monetizing Social Interactions

SocialFi blends social media and DeFi, enabling users to earn rewards for their online activities. With Web2-like interfaces, SocialFi platforms offer a seamless transition to Web3.

Challenges include creating sustainable economic models and handling high transaction volumes, but advancements in decentralized infrastructure could drive adoption.

10. Privacy and Verification: The Rise of ZKPs

Privacy tools like zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are increasingly important for secure blockchain applications in Payments, Identity Verification, and Governance.

ZKPs ensure data verification without exposing sensitive information, balancing transparency and confidentiality.

11. Cross-Chain Interoperability and Chain Abstraction

Seamless blockchain interactions are becoming essential. Projects like Particle Network offer account-level chain abstraction, providing a unified balance across multiple chains without the need for bridging. This innovation simplifies user experience and supports the growth of cross-chain applications.

12. DeFi Revival and PreConfirmations

As Ethereum fees drop and market conditions evolve, DeFi is set to regain momentum. Enhanced accessibility and new use cases will drive the next wave of decentralized financial services.

Preconfirmation protocols like Primev, Luban, and Bolt offer guaranteed transaction inclusion and MEV protection. This innovation benefits traders and dApps, improving transaction speed and security while decentralizing block production.

Summing Up For The 2025 Year 

2025 is a pivotal year for blockchain, driven by technological innovation, regulatory clarity, and institutional adoption. The analysis highlights pivotal developments such as the rapid adoption of Bitcoin ETFs, the proliferation of Layer 2 solutions, and the expanding role of stablecoins as integral components of global financial systems in 2024.

New frontiers like DePIN, real-world asset tokenization (RWA), and DeAI are set to transform the space. The convergence of AI and blockchain promises enhanced scalability, security, and user experience, paving the way for mainstream adoption.

Regions like the EU, UK, and Asia-Pacific are leading the regulatory charge, fostering investor confidence. Meanwhile, the USA is poised for potential crypto-friendly legislation under the new administration.

The competitive landscape is dynamic, with Solana, Ethereum, and Bitcoin revitalizing their ecosystems. Success in 2025 will depend on real-world applications, security, and user-centric solutions.

In short, 2025 offers exciting opportunities and challenges. Use this roadmap from our R&D team to navigate this evolving scene!