As the year-end approaches, investors are preparing to showcase their skills in the new year, and asset management companies have also made new forecasts for investment prospects in 2025. ABMedia previously summarized the investment reports of BlackRock and Bitwise, and this article is the 10 major crypto predictions for 2025 issued by VanEck, which focuses on digital assets and alternative investments.
(BlackRock's 2025 Investment Outlook: BTC Becomes a New Diversification Tool)
(Bitwise 2025 Predictions: BTC $200K, ETH $7K, AI Agents to Continue Fueling Meme Coin Mania)
Table of Contents
ToggleThe crypto bull market reaches its mid-cycle peak in the first quarter and sets a new high in the fourth quarter
VanEck believes the crypto bull market will continue until 2025, reaching its first peak in the first quarter, then correcting, and setting a new high in the fourth quarter, with the following forecasts:
- BTC: $180,000
- ETH: $6,000
- Solana (SOL): $500
- Sui (SUI): $10
The US embraces BTC through strategic reserves and increased crypto adoption
Trump's election has injected tremendous momentum into the crypto market, and his appointed cabinet team not only marks the end of anti-crypto currency policies, but also represents the beginning of a policy framework that positions BTC as a strategic asset.
(Trump's Cabinet Team Unveiled, Who Will Influence the Future Direction of Crypto Policy?)
VanEck also expects to see physical creation, staking, and new ETF approvals, the adoption of sovereign BTC (by the federal government or at least one US state), an increase in the number of countries using government resources to mine BTC, and corporate BTC holdings exceeding Satoshi's 1.1 million BTC.
The value of tokenized securities exceeds $50 billion
2025 will be a year of takeoff for tokenized securities. Entities like DTCC will support tokenized assets, seamlessly transitioning between public blockchains and private closed infrastructures. This dynamic will lead to the execution of AML/KYC standards for on-chain investors. VanEck also predicts that Coinbase will take unprecedented action, tokenizing COIN stock and deploying it on its BASE blockchain.
The daily settlement volume of stablecoins reaches $300 billion
Stablecoins will transcend their niche role in crypto trading and become a core part of global commerce. The remittance market will also experience explosive growth.
Over 1 million on-chain AI agents
AI agents are one of the most prominent stories, which will transform into a huge attraction by 2025. AI agents can act as KOLs, in-game computer players, and interactive companions/assistants in consumer applications. Bixby and Terminal of Truths have already become important X/Twitter KOLs with 92,000 and 197,000 followers respectively. Therefore, VanEck believes that over 1 million new AI agents will be born by 2025.
Bitcoin L2 total locked value reaches 100,000 BTC
Bitcoin L2 solutions experienced explosive growth in 2024, with the total value locked (TVL) exceeding 30,000 BTC, a 600% increase year-to-date, worth about $3 billion. Currently, over 75 Bitcoin L2 projects are under development, but in the long run, only a few projects are likely to be widely adopted. As chain abstraction technology and Bitcoin L2 mature into end-user products, Bitcoin will also become an integral part of DeFi.
Ethereum Blob space generates $1 billion in fees
The Ethereum community is actively discussing whether Ethereum can derive sufficient value from its L2 network through Blob space (a key component of its expansion roadmap). Although Blob space growth has recently slowed, it is expected to grow significantly by 2025, driven primarily by the explosive adoption of L2, Rollup optimization, and the introduction of high-fee use cases.
DeFi trading volume reaches $4 trillion, TVL reaches $2 trillion
Driven by the surge in AI-related tokens and new consumer-facing dApps, DEX trading volume is expected to exceed $4 trillion in 2025, accounting for 20% of CEX spot trading volume.
Furthermore, the influx of tokenized securities and high-value assets will drive the growth of DeFi, providing new liquidity and broader utility. As a result, DeFi TVL will rebound to over $200 billion by the end of the year, reflecting the growing demand for decentralized finance infrastructure in the evolving digital economy.
NFT market rebounds, trading volume reaches $30 billion
With the rebound in crypto wealth, it is expected that new affluent users will diversify their investments into NFTs, not only as speculative investments but as assets with enduring cultural and historical significance. Given the strong cultural prestige and relevance of well-known collections such as CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), VanEck believes they are fully capable of benefiting from this shift.
Ethereum continues to dominate the NFT space, hosting the majority of important collections. In 2024, it accounted for 71% of NFT transactions, and this figure is expected to rise to 85% by 2025.
Although NFT trading volume may not return to the highs of previous cycles, VanEck believes that as the market shifts towards sustainability and cultural relevance rather than speculative hype, annual trading volume could reach $30 billion, around 55% of the 2021 peak.
The performance gap between DApp tokens and L1 tokens will narrow
VanEck expects a wave of new dApps to be launched in 2025, offering innovative and useful products, thereby driving the value of their respective tokens. Among the key thematic trends, we see Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a prominent category for dApp innovation. Additionally, decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) projects offer tremendous potential to attract investor and user interest, contributing to a broader rebalancing of performance between L1 tokens and dApp tokens.
Risk Disclaimer
Cryptocurrency investments carry high risks, and their prices may fluctuate dramatically, potentially resulting in a total loss of the principal. Please carefully evaluate the risks.
