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in a <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/hmalviya9/status/1870909412220825685″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>thread On Below are the top 15 predictions that interested parties and enthusiasts should follow closely.
Top 15 crypto Predictions for 2025
#1 US regulation of the crypto market in 2025
Malviya anticipates the formalization of the US regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies by 2025. “The US cryptocurrency regulatory framework has been under discussion for the past two years, but we have not seen any approval on it yet,” he states. He further predicts that favorable regulations will emerge during the Trump presidency that will significantly bolster sectors with strong cash flows, particularly decentralized finance (DeFi).
#2 Sustained popularity of Memecoin
Despite the planned regulatory interventions, Malviya expects the memecoin sector to regain its momentum. “Most memes will end up having a short-term impact when the regulatory framework is introduced in the US, since I don't see them being part of it,” he explains.
Furthermore, he predicts that regulation “will eventually create a clear divide between hyper-speculative trading assets and assets with some kind of fundamental value associated with them.” However, just like in 2024, “most people will choose memes over fundamentally backed assets, even if they are not recognized by the government,” Malviya predicts, adding, “mememania will only grow.” : More participants will join in the hope of changing their lives. The casino will only grow over time.”
#3 Expansion of hyperspeculative markets
Beyond memecoins, Malviya foresees significant growth in hyper-speculative markets, particularly in the markets for predicting events, news, affairs and just about everything. “Memes are not the most hyper-speculative market that cryptocurrencies offer; Prediction markets are the biggest fish in the pond. (…) Prediction market platforms like Polymarket will end up capturing the largest audience in 2025,” he points out.
#4 DeFi Renaissance
The resurgence of DeFi is the cornerstone of Malviya's predictions. It projects that DeFi will become a focal point for mature investors, with total value locked (TVL) in DeFi protocols exceeding $250 billion by the end of 2025. “Money markets like AAVE will eventually attract more TVL” , Malviya stated, highlighting the role. of Donald Trump's crypto project, World Liberty Financial, as a key growth catalyst. “Some DeFi coins will also reach a market capitalization of between $30 billion and $50 billion next year,” the expert added.
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#5 On-chain commodity trading
The integration of commodities into blockchain ecosystems is expected to gain momentum. Malviya predicts: “In 2025, different types of commodities will eventually be offered for trading on many DEXs.” The expert identifies Ostium Labs as one of the pioneers in this area, with the expectation that numerous projects will launch on-chain commodity trading platforms.
#6 Stablecoin Market Cap Reaches $500 Billion
The stablecoin sector is poised for substantial growth, with Malviya forecasting a market capitalization of $500 billion. “Many new stablecoins will end up taking market share from big players like USDC and USDT,” he said. The Reserve Protocol, which facilitates asset-backed stablecoins, stands out as a promising initiative within this expansion.
ai-powered art nfts are expected to attract significant attention. “Some ai artists, like Refik Anadol, may steal the most attention from nft art collectors next year,” Malviya predicts. It anticipates that ai Art nft collections may reach minimum prices reaching 100 ethereum (eth).
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#8 Bet-Driven Airdrop Mechanisms
Malviya predicts that Polygon and EigenLayer will have a series of major token launches next year. “I anticipate that Polygon and EigenLayer's bet will likely bring a couple of ecosystem airdrops to the headlines,” he explained.
#9 Peak and Decline of Initial ai Offerings (IAO)
The initial phase of OAIs is expected to reach its zenith, followed by a contraction. “AIOs are currently in the first phase,” Malviya noted, warning that oversaturation will lead to the decline of many ai agents. “Only a few agents with quality data training and a clear purpose will survive the ai agent winter, which will occur sometime next year,” warns the expert.
#10 Perpetual Bull Market Perception
Malviya suggests that the bull market will persist in perception, but it will not be as smooth as in the past, where all altcoins rose at the same time. “That's the saddest part of this list of predictions: most people will continue to be deluded about a bull market, just as they are now. The nature of the market will continue to be rotating for a few more months,” he said.
Forecasts a major correction that will resemble a bear cycle, but expects an unexpected recovery influenced by possible black swan events: “I expect a major correction, which could resemble a bear cycle in 2025, but will surprise people with an unexpected recovery , aligned with some possible black swan events.”
#11 Focus on privacy-based projects
After regulatory clarity under Trump, privacy-focused projects are expected to gain prominence. “Confidential transactions and private computing will become a necessity at some point,” Malviya emphasized. Projects like Nillion are expected to attract substantial attention within the DeFi and DeAI sectors, catering to the growing demand for privacy solutions.
#12 SUI surpassing Solana in daily transactions
The SUI blockchain, leveraging the SocialFi narrative, is expected to eclipse Solana in daily transaction volumes. “SUI is currently cooking up the SocialFi narrative. Most of the app activity on SUI comes from its SocialFi app, which deals directly with the creator economy. I hope that some of the SUI applications will eventually crack the code of the creator economy and bring the masses on-chain, eventually surpassing Solana in daily transaction metrics.”
#13 Intense competition between alternative virtual machines (AltVM)
The battle between AltVM will intensify, with Malviya identifying contenders such as Monad, MegaETH, Berachain, HyperVM, Sonic and Sei. “One of them will capture 75% of market share within 12 months of launch,” he predicts, attributing success to community support and developer relationships. Malviya expresses particular interest in MegaEth Labs as a potential market leader.
#14 Widespread adoption of Web3 wallets
Web3 wallets are expected to reach mainstream status, facilitated by better user onboarding and intuitive interfaces. “Web3 wallets will be very easy to incorporate and use next year,” says Malviya. The emergence of super apps, along with Web3 wallets from major exchanges such as OKX and Binance, is expected to drive widespread adoption across mobile platforms.
#15 DEXs that capture 30% of trading volume
Finally, Malviya expects decentralized exchanges (DEXs) to substantially increase their share of trading volumes. “The DEX/CEX trading volume ratio stands at 15% right now. I expect it to double in the next 12 months,” he says. The shift towards on-chain trading is attributed to the benefits of self-custody and improved onboarding technologies such as account abstraction, leading to an anticipated increase in on-chain user activity.
At press time, bitcoin was trading at $96,139.
Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView.com
