In 2025, innovation will drive transformations across various fields in a brand-new way. Whether it is breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, the expanded application of blockchain technology, or the transformation of corporate payment models, the global technology is entering an exciting era. From the insights of 50 partners, the renowned US venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has extracted ten key trends that may indicate the direction of innovation in 2025. The following is about the part on cryptocurrencies.
(a16z Foresees 2025 Tech Trends: AI Crypto Wallets, AI Chatbots, and Tokenized Government Bonds)
Table of Contents
Toggle1. Artificial Intelligence Needs Its 'Own Wallet'
As AI transitions from a supporting role to a leading one, AI agents will participate in market activities more frequently. However, AI currently cannot transact in an autonomous and verifiable manner. This will change when AI holds its own crypto wallets, keys, and assets. This will give rise to new use cases, such as AI running or validating nodes in decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN), or even the first blockchain owned and operated by AI.
2. The Rise of Decentralized Autonomous Chatbots (DACs)
The next big trend is "Decentralized Autonomous Chatbots" (DACs). DACs can not only attract audiences on decentralized social media, but also manage their own crypto assets by generating revenue. Leveraging Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to guarantee autonomy, DACs may become the first truly autonomous billion-dollar entity.
3. AI Drives the Demand for 'Identity Verification'
As AI-generated fake content becomes cheaper, online fraud is becoming more rampant. 'Identity Verification' becomes a crucial element in ensuring online integrity. Privacy-preserving identity uniqueness technologies will increase the cost of attacks and effectively address identity fraud.
4. From Prediction Markets to Comprehensive Information Aggregation
Prediction markets gained attention in the 2024 US election, but in 2025, more decentralized technologies will facilitate comprehensive information aggregation. The transparency and incentive mechanisms of blockchain make it an ideal tool for enabling information sharing, with applications spanning from community governance to sensor networks and finance.
5. Stablecoin Payments Enter the Corporate Mainstream
Stablecoins have become the best solution for cross-border payments, but large enterprises have not yet fully leveraged their potential. In 2025, more SMEs are expected to be the first to adopt stablecoins, especially in the retail sector under high transaction fee pressure. Large enterprises may also gradually join in to reduce payment costs and solve identity verification issues.
6. Pilot of Blockchain-based Government Bonds
Some innovative governments will begin to experiment with blockchain-based government bonds, creating digital assets with interest returns. This not only increases transaction transparency, but also enhances the robustness of the DeFi ecosystem. Countries like the UK and the US have already expressed preliminary interest, and more countries may follow suit in the future.
7. "DUNA" Becomes the Industry Standard for Blockchain
In 2024, the US state of Wyoming passed a law recognizing decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) as legal entities. By 2025, the "Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association" (DUNA) is expected to become the new standard for blockchain projects, promoting decentralized governance and economic activities.
8. Blockchain Technology Enters Physical Governance
People dissatisfied with the current voting systems will explore blockchain-based physical governance models. For example, blockchain technology can support secure and private electoral voting, and even be applied to "liquid democracy" models, allowing people to vote directly or by proxy.
9. Tech Teams Focus on "Reusing" Infrastructure, Not Reinventing
Over the past year, many teams have repeatedly built blockchain infrastructure. In 2025, more teams will turn to leveraging existing technologies, focusing on differentiating product value and improving development efficiency.
10. Hiding Technical Complexity, Ushering in Killer Web3 Applications
The technical advantages of blockchain are often hindered by complexity, which impedes mass adoption. In 2025, successful decentralized applications will focus on user experience, hiding technical details behind the scenes, making Web3 applications as simple as "click-and-use", thereby driving mainstream adoption.
