What will happen with crypto in 2025?

So, I’ve already talked about payments, technology and mentioned cryptocurrencies but, this year, crypto deserves its’ very own singular entry. Cryptocurrencies are huge in 2025. This is not only because Donald Trump and Elon Musk will do their utmost to make America the Crypto Capital, but because – after sixteen years – cryptocurrencies are coming of age.

Hence, there are a huge range of crypto predictions, but I’ve narrowed it down to my two of my favourites: a16z and Bitwise. Let’s start with Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z crypto who have 14 big ideas for crypto in 2025, namely:

1. An AI Needs a Wallet of One’s Own
AI agents will require crypto wallets to act autonomously allowing them to transact independent from humans.

2. ‘Decentralized Autonomous Chatbots’
Autonomous chatbots running on decentralized infrastructure could manage assets, generate income, and operate w/out human control.

3. Proof of Personhood in an AI-Dominated World
Privacy-preserving proof of 'personhood' will combat impersonation and ensure trust in a world dominated by AI-generated content.

4. From Prediction Markets → Information Aggregation
Blockchain-based tools will aggregate and incentivize truthful information sharing across governance, finance, and sensor networks.

5. Enterprises Adopt Stablecoins for Payments
Stablecoins will become a preferred payment method for enterprises, offering significant cost savings and efficiency improvements.

6. Government Bonds Go On-chain
Tokenizing government bonds on blockchains will enhance transparency, efficiency, and participation in financial markets.

7. The Rise of the DUNA for Blockchain Governance
The DUNA structure will provide DAOs with legal legitimacy, fostering decentralized governance and innovation in the U.S.

8. Liquid Democracy Moves Offline
Blockchain-powered liquid democracy will transform governance by enabling secure, scalable, and participatory voting systems.

9. Builders Prioritize Reusable Infrastructure
Blockchain teams will increasingly adopt existing infrastructure to streamline development and focus on user-centric innovations.

10. UX Takes Center Stage in Crypto
Crypto startups will prioritize user experience over infrastructure, creating intuitive products that drive mainstream adoption.

11. ‘Hiding the Wires’ Spurs Web3 Adoption
Simplifying user interfaces and abstracting blockchain complexity will accelerate mass adoption of web3 technologies.

12. Crypto’s Own App Stores and Discovery Platforms
Decentralized app stores will empower crypto apps to overcome traditional distribution barriers and reach wider audiences.

13. Crypto Owners Become Crypto Users
The crypto industry will focus on converting passive holders into active users through more accessible and engaging applications.

14. Tokenizing Unconventional Assets
Tokenization will unlock value in unconventional assets, enabling new economic opportunities and decentralized monetization.

If you don’t like those predictions, then checkout Bitwise’s (Bitwise manages over $5B in digital assets) top crypto predictions for 2025:

Prediction 1: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana will hit new all-time highs, with Bitcoin trading above $200,000.

Prediction 2: Bitcoin ETFs will attract more flows in 2025 than they did in 2024.

Prediction 3: Coinbase will surpass Charles Schwab as the most valuable brokerage in the world, and its stock will top $700 per share.

Prediction 4: 2025 will be the “Year of the Crypto IPO,” with at least five crypto unicorns going public in the U.S.

Prediction 5: Tokens launched by AI agents will spearhead a memecoin mania even bigger than in 2024.

Prediction 6: The number of countries holding bitcoin will double.

Prediction 7: Coinbase will enter the S&P 500 and MicroStrategy will enter the Nasdaq-100, adding crypto exposure to (nearly) every U.S. investor’s portfolio.

Prediction 8: The U.S. Department of Labor will relax its guidance against crypto in 401(k) plans, enabling billions of dollars to flow into crypto assets.

Prediction 9: Stablecoin assets will double to $400 billion as the U.S. passes long-awaited stablecoin legislation.

Prediction 10: The value of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) will surpass $50 billion as Wall Street’s embrace of crypto intensifies.

For the full report, visit https://lnkd.in/eBMB5-PE

Either way, a16z and Bitwise are saying crypto is big news in 2025 … and I agree! Meanwhile, we cannot talk about crypto without mentioning CBDCs, so here's another view:

Retail CBDCs are a disaster waiting to happen. Here’s why 👇

Retail CBDCs Destory Privacy

CBDCs are branded as "modern convenience". But every payment you make becomes visible to authorities in real-time. Governments gain power to block or reverse transactions instantly. Financial freedom? Gone.

Retail CBDCs are surveillance tools disguised as progress.

This isn’t innovation - it’s control dressed up as efficiency.

Retail CBDCs Destroy Banks

CBDCs sideline banks by cutting them out of deposits: Funds flow directly into central bank accounts, starving retail banks of liquidity. Lending dries up, creating instability across the financial system. This model weakens institutions we rely on and amplifies systemic risks.

Retail CBDCs Solve Nothing

What problem do retail CBDCs actually fix?

1. Financial inclusion? Digital payment apps already solve this.
2. Faster transactions? Stablecoins do it better, globally.
3. Improved efficiency? CBDCs are stuck using legacy banking infrastruture.

So retail CBDCs don't work and crypto works. It is going to be an interesting year.