I have spent over six years working in the marketing aspect of cryptocurrencies. I currently run a Generis marketing agency that specializes in Web3; we have seen everything the industry has to offer, from the best times to the worst. Along the way, we have talked to the leaders of the crypto world, worked with its most modern tools, and seen what this burgeoning space has to offer. We now have a VPN of sorts—a virtual prediction network—by which we can make some educated guesses on what the industry will look like in 2025. But more on that later. This article is not investment or trading advice. Consider it instead a series of conversations and syntheses that get us to a virtual where-to-in-2025 point.
Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex, and involve high risks. This can mean high prices volatility and potential loss of your initial investment. You should consider your financial situation, investment purposes, and consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information stated in this article. #DYOR
Prediction #1: The U.S. Will Establish Bitcoin as a Strategic Asset
The 2024 elections reversed the landscape as far as the US government was concerned through a change of guard led by Joe Biden. So far, the administration led by Donald Trump has made one pro-cryptocurrency appointment after another to top-level government positions. Notable appointments are Vice President JD Vance, Michael Waltz as National Security Advisor, and Mary Bessent as Treasury Secretary, with other key financial hires such as Paul Atkins installed at the SEC to Jelena McWilliams at the FDIC.
The appointments are key shifts away from restrictive crypto policy and, more broadly, new recognition of Bitcoin as a strategic financial instrument.
Prediction #2: MiCA Policy Will Reshape the Crypto Landscape in Europe
The Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA, will fully come into effect in 2025, establishing a single regulatory regime for crypto-assets throughout the European Union. MiCA aims to better protect investors and promote innovation while creating more transparency and accountability within the crypto market.
While these regulations are aimed at devising a stable and secure environment for market participants, this will also set a higher bar both for CEXs and custody services, possibly entailing major operational changes for such market participants due to increased legal requirements and more resources allocated toward compliance. Meanwhile, MiCA would rather attract institutional investors who value regulatory clarity and safety, boosting the legitimacy of Europe’s crypto market.
Prediction #3: Gold vs. Bitcoin Holdings — Companies and Governments Set for Expansion
This Web3 trend of 2025 suggests potentially large opportunities for both companies and governments to better position their Bitcoin holdings in comparison to gold. Today, private holders dominate Bitcoin ownership at 58.6%, with minimal adoption by governments (2.6%) and public companies (1.5%). In contrast, gold is more integrated into governmental reserves at 13.7% and institutional vehicles such as funds/ETFs at 5.3%.
Prediction #4: The Crypto Bull Market Will Hit Its First Peak in Q1 2025 and Reach New All-Time Highs in Q4 2025
The crypto market in 2025 is expected to follow a two-peak cycle pattern. The first major surge is anticipated in the first quarter, driven by growing institutional adoption, improved scalability solutions, and increasing investor confidence in blockchain infrastructure. At this stage, we project Bitcoin (BTC) to reach around $130,000 and Ethereum (ETH) to exceed $5,000.
Prediction #5: DEX Tokens Will Experience Significant Growth
Stricter regulatory policies against centralized exchanges, one of the main trends in Web3, will increase the rate of adoption and growth in DEX tokens. As more users and traders look for other options away from the CEX platforms, the demand for the DEX tokens will definitely go up, adding to their value. The only exception could be PancakeSwap, a subsidiary DEX of Binance, given its closeness to the centralized exchange.
Prediction #6: DeFi Tokens Are Not Far Behind
This could, therefore, be the turn for DeFi tokens, which are set to start reaping the benefits of the increased scrutiny being placed on the entire crypto sector. Increased scrutiny of centralized entities would only make decentralized protocols more attractive to users looking to get free financial services, making this a factor bound to keep on driving liquidity and interest to the platforms.
Prediction #7: Layer 2 Solutions Will Thrive Alongside DeFi Growth
With the ever-tightening regulatory environment in the crypto space, Layer 2 solutions are set to see an exponential surge in 2025. The Crypto Travel Rule and MiCA will likely force liquidity and users onto decentralized platforms, ultimately forcing a shift from centralized entities into the DeFi ecosystems, which will create demand for DeFi tokens and platforms.
Trends in Web3 indicate that users will start seeking higher levels of scalability by looking more towards low-fee transactional fees with faster times of execution. It would make this more appealing with Arbitrum and Optimism, who have lowered costs and attained higher speed. These are solutions that address the necessary scalability of DeFi platforms to be able to satisfy growing demand from users. This means much of the growth in such adoption could result in this Layer 2 blockchain gaining a substantial market share and, therefore, setting it up for strong growth in the coming year.
Prediction #8: Privacy-preserving blockchain applications will become mainstream
Increased innovation in privacy-enhancing technologies shows the importance of privacy in blockchain ecosystems. Web3 trends indicate that by 2025, privacy-preserving applications will be at the heart of Web3. Zero-knowledge proofs, multi-party computation, and fully homomorphic encryption are technologies that would enable users to transact, collaborate, and share data without giving up confidentiality. These will further open use cases around private DeFi transactions, secure voting systems, and enterprise-grade data sharing, making privacy part and parcel of the blockchain experience.
Prediction #9: The NFT Market Will Recover, Reaching $30 Billion in Trading Volume
Having been badly hit by the bear cycle in the financial year 2022-2023, the NFT marketplace is expected to stage a remarkable recovery in 2025. It has decreased to 39% since 2023 and by 84% since 2022, but it has been picking up as the market moves from pure pump-and-dump schemes to actual community and culturally relevant projects. Such collections are at the forefront of this revival and include Pudgy Penguins, Miladys, and Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC).
I project NFT trading volumes to reach $30 billion in 2025, driven by:
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The rise of a new generation of crypto-rich will cause people to look at NFTs as artworks or important historical artifacts rather than bubbles.
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The fact that there are still collections like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club attracting attention and demand.
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Ethereum’s increasing share of the NFT market share to trade 85% of NFTs in 2025 from 71% in 2024.
Such recovery lies still below the numbers of 2021 trading volumes and shifted more towards sustainability and relevance to the culture. While oftentimes, the primary use of NFTs is being reimagined as collectibles, cultural assets, and brands, the industry is set for a steadier and logically consequent phase.
Prediction #10: Ethereum’s Maximum Gas Limit Will Double to 60M
However, Layer 1 (L1) Ethereum is still important to support high-value applications that are less gas sensitive. Ethereum’s planned enhancements for 2025 include increasing the maximum Gas limit per block from 30M to 60M and the block target from 15M to 30M Gas.
The upgrades will enable more complexity in transactions and throughput of L1 block space in sync with the increasing demand for L1 block space. Achieving this milestone relies on two key factors:
- The Fusaka update of 2025 will provide the vital infrastructure improvements.
- Support for this increase in East from the core developer community of Ethereum requires consensus in its Fusaka upgrade.
Since 2021, the current maximum Gas limit of 30M has remained the same.
A Web3-Powered Future
Web3 in 2025 is poised for massive shifts—some predictable, others bound to surprise us. From regulatory transformations to technological leaps, the future holds immense potential for those ready to adapt. These trends aren’t just guesses; they’re glimpses into where the industry is headed. Stay curious, stay informed, and let’s see how these predictions play out. **The best is yet to come.
