Author: arndxt
Compiled by: Glendon, Techub News
Why I No Longer Suggest Friends First "Learn Cryptocurrency Knowledge".
Last month, I tried again to guide a friend from outside the cryptocurrency field. Ten minutes later, when explaining "choosing a wallet" and "now needing to pay Gas fees with another token", her eyes began to glaze over.
I suddenly realized: We are facing not a knowledge gap, but a design gap.
A cruel reality is: The speculative wave brought the first wave of users but cannot attract the next billion users. True popularization begins when cryptocurrency products become invisible - people can benefit from them without realizing they are using cryptocurrency technology.
From the rise of stablecoins to institutional staking and the increasing role of AI in digital economic development, the foundation for large-scale cryptocurrency applications has been laid. But to open up such a future, we must stop asking users to learn cryptocurrency knowledge and instead start building cryptocurrency products that do not require users to notice the underlying technology.
Here are 8 narrative directions and related projects worth paying attention to in cryptocurrency applications.
The Winning Path for Next-Generation Wallets: Extreme Single-Point Focus
Currently, wallets are in a structural transformation stage: Users are forming a habit of using two complementary wallets - one for daily use, similar to a fintech app, and another for asset storage, a "vault wallet" similar to a bank account.
Wallet functions and experiences are diverging. Therefore, developers trying to cram all functions into a single interface will ultimately be defeated by those focusing on (a) frictionless onboarding experience and (b) high-security storage.
Data shows that most users now use 2-5 wallets, with nearly 48% of respondents saying this is because each blockchain is still in its own "walled garden" island state.
At the same time, wallets are in a top-heavy state, with experienced users (with over 2 years of experience) concentrated in Binance, Coinbase, MetaMask, or Trust (over 54%), while in the novice group, no single wallet's share exceeds 20%.
Moreover, for most users, self-custody remains daunting. An interesting data point is that Binance's self-custody solution, "Binance Web3 Wallet", despite offering a familiar brand and simplified self-custody path, has only attracted 22% of user share, with most users still hesitant.
In fact, users do not want to use multiple wallets simultaneously; this is not their subjective preference but a lack of alternatives.
Clearly, the "seamless multi-chain future" often discussed in the industry has not truly arrived. Besides the 48% of users having multiple wallets primarily to access different blockchain ecosystems, 44% of users actively split wallets for security reasons, a significant increase from 33% last year.
It can be seen that the industry has failed to provide true interoperability, thus transferring operational complexity to end-users. Meanwhile, these users are becoming smarter - they no longer blindly believe that one wallet can handle all scenarios.
Project Examples
Phantom: A popular cryptocurrency wallet supporting Solana and Ethereum.
(Translation continues in the same manner for the rest of the text)- Non-Fungible Tokens will gradually become the default interaction layer for consumer applications: loyalty points, badges, membership benefits - all of these will increasingly appear on-chain in the form of Non-Fungible Tokens. Ownership will be transferable and tradable across platforms, no longer limited to a single platform, which will release secondary value for users and unlock more monetization channels for brands. Imagine Starbucks' loyalty program operating on-chain, where points earned in one application can unlock benefits across an entire partner service network.
- Non-Fungible Tokens becoming a digital embodiment of cultural capital: Non-Fungible Tokens are rapidly becoming a mechanism for users to express identity and cultural belonging in digital space. As social platforms integrate on-chain assets, Non-Fungible Token ownership will evolve into the primary mode of digital self-expression, just like wearing brands in the real world.
- Success will depend on retention rate, not floor price: The era of judging Non-Fungible Tokens by speculative value is coming to an end. The new metric is retention rate and participation frequency. How often do users interact with Non-Fungible Tokens? Are these Non-Fungible Tokens related to ongoing experiences, content, or rewards? This will become the primary consideration for builders, who should design Non-Fungible Token ecosystems that encourage repeated participation through unlockable content, continuously evolving token attributes, and real-world benefits.
- AI + Non-Fungible Tokens will unlock the next wave of personalized dynamic assets: AI-generated Non-Fungible Tokens related to user behavior, emotions, or community events are imminent. These dynamic assets will continuously evolve with user engagement. This will unlock deeply personalized experiences and create emotional attachments that static assets cannot achieve.
Project Examples
- Treasure: Non-Fungible Token infrastructure;
- Mocaverse: Infrastructure connecting Animoca brand ecosystem using MOCA token;
- Rodeo Club: Non-Fungible Token engagement platform;
- NFP: AI-driven UGC platform;
- Good Vibes Club: Non-Fungible Token community;
- Onchain Heroes: Popular collection on Abstract;
- Hypio: Non-Fungible Token collection with high trading volume and rapid growth;
- steady teddys: Popular collection series on Berachain;
- Pudgy Penguins: One of the leading Non-Fungible Token brands with mainstream adoption;
- Bored Ape Yacht Club: Representative collection with strong community and ApeCoin token;
- CryptoPunks: Original Non-Fungible Token collection, considered a historically significant digital artifact;
- Azuki: Non-Fungible Token series inspired by Japanese anime, with ANIME token and strong brand influence;
- doodles: Colorful Non-Fungible Token collection that recently launched DOOD token on Solana;
- Milady Maker: With CULT token and strong community.
BTC: New Macro Asset Paradigm
BTC has evolved from a speculative asset to a macro-level financial instrument.
A parallel transformation is unfolding. Thanks to the maturity of the Layer 2 ecosystem, especially emerging protocols like Lightning Network, Ark, and Fedimint, BTC is quietly becoming the invisible transaction layer for global settlement, supporting the next generation of cross-border payments, institutional finance, and sovereign digital reserves.
BTC's Macro Relevance
- From hedge asset to strategic reserve asset: Countries striving to de-dollarize are quietly exploring BTC as part of their sovereign reserve diversification strategy; institutions and even sovereign entities view it as a necessary insurance policy against systemic financial risks.
- Layer 2 protocols are unlocking BTC's payment utility: Lightning Network has evolved from a technical experiment to a scalable real-world payment layer enabling near-instant, low-cost cross-border transactions; new solutions like Fedimint and Ark are addressing BTC's user experience and privacy limitations, making BTC a potential true transaction currency for emerging markets. Builders should focus on leveraging these Layer 2 payment solutions and cross-border financial products, especially for remittance channels and regions plagued by currency depreciation.
- BTC as collateral, rise of institutional lending: Major institutions are not just passively investing in BTC but using it as productive collateral for structured financial products. Expect an increase in BTC-backed credit instruments, fund management solutions, and derivatives seamlessly integrated with traditional financial markets.
- Global settlement network is forming: As geopolitical friction intensifies, the demand for neutral, censorship-resistant settlement mechanisms will grow. BTC has a unique advantage in serving as a clearing layer for global trade, complementing rather than competing with fiat. Infrastructure that masks BTC transaction complexity for end-users, enabling seamless settlement by leveraging BTC at the base layer, will drive adoption beyond the crypto native circle.
Project Examples
- Solv Protocol: Launched first on-chain BTC financialization and banking;
- stacks.btc: BTC Layer 2 network supporting smart contracts and applications;
- Alpen: BTC Layer 2 network;
- Babylon: BTC cross-chain and staking solution;
- Zeus Network: BTC interoperability protocol;
- corn: Network built for BTCFi.
Institutional Staking: New Strategic Capital Allocation Model
As BTC consolidates its position as a macro asset class and core component of modern financial strategy, institutions naturally raise the next question: How can we make these assets productive?
While retail investors continue chasing speculative gains through Memecoin and high-risk trading, institutional capital is quietly and steadily flowing into structured, yield-generating crypto assets, particularly through Ethereum and Solana staking ecosystems.
While BTC may play a dominant role as a macro hedging tool, staking is rapidly becoming the institutional bridge to productive on-chain capital.
- BTC becoming a value storage means for productive capital: With the emergence of BTC-native staking-like mechanisms (such as through Babylon Protocol and upcoming BTC Layer 2 solutions), BTC is beginning to find its place in yield generation strategies without compromising its core monetary attributes.
- The real opportunity is infrastructure, not validators: The next $1 billion in institutional capital inflow will come from platforms providing institutional-grade custody, compliance reporting, and risk management staking products.
- Yield diversification in uncertain macroeconomic environments: As interest rates peak and traditional fixed-income products lose attractiveness, staking yields offer a new risk-adjusted yield category, particularly attractive for corporate finance departments seeking asset diversification, escaping cash holdings and low-yield bonds, while avoiding exposure to speculative crypto asset volatility.
Project Examples
- Core DAO: BTC PoS layer, non-custodial BTC staking solution;
- BounceBit: Institutional staking platform;
- TruFin: Institutional-grade liquidity staking platform;
- Archax: UK-regulated institutional-grade exchange.
Regulation, Stablecoins & AI: Next Entry Point
Compliance unlocks the stablecoin market, creating real daily touchpoints through cheap, instant global payments, to verifiable on-chain sources becoming the trust layer for AI value creation - payments are merely the "beachhead".
- Regulatory Optimism: 86% of respondents believe clearer rules will accelerate adoption; only 14% believe it will hinder innovation.
- Stablecoin Attractiveness: Ownership nearly doubled year-on-year, reaching 37%, and has already become the default payment method in over 30 markets for payment giant Stripe.
- AI Synergy: 64% of respondents believe AI will at least accelerate crypto technology development; another 29% anticipate a "bidirectional flywheel effect".
Project Examples
- WLFI: Trump Family Project WLFI Launches USD1 Stablecoin;
- Ripple: Launches RLUSD Stablecoin and Uses XRP as Gas Token;
- Ethena Labs: Launches USDe Stablecoin and Will Launch Token Focused on TradFi;
- OpenEden: Launches Yield-Generating USDO Stablecoin
- cap: Stablecoin Protocol with Reliable Financial Guarantees.
Conclusion: User Experience (UX) 2.0 Determines Success or Failure
Users are no longer confused by narratives like "Web3"; they expect to simultaneously have Web2-level ease of use, Web3-level asset ownership guarantees, and AI-level intelligent experiences.
Teams that simplify chain selection, lower fee thresholds, and embed predictive safety nets will transform cryptocurrency from a speculative "playground" into a connection point for the on-chain internet. The next billion users may not even know they are using Web3 products, and this "invisibility" will be the ultimate victory of user experience.
