4 Key Digital Asset Trends to Watch in 2025

The world of crypto is poised for a major shift in 2025, with regulatory developments heralding a new environment for the digital asset industry.

Here are five key trends to watch in the digital assets space in 2025, according to industry leaders:

1. Stablecoin-Powered Payments Rise

Kevin Lehtiniitty, Borderless.xyz CEO, predicts a major shift in the payments industry.

“2025 will mark the beginning of the payments industry transitioning from slow and expensive correspondent banks to fast, cheap, and internet-native money through stablecoins,” he tells TheStreet Crypto.

“The original use case of crypto is back with a vengeance that’s taking the world by storm as consumers and businesses alike turn to stablecoins to move value across borders. We’re going to see the birth of the world’s first truly global fintechs and neobanks all built on top of blockchain based systems that will completely change the way the world banks and transacts across the next five years.”

2. Onchain Startups, Innovation Surges

“With an oppressive regulatory regime in the U.S. coming to an end, VC capital is going to pour into onchain startups at a rate rivaling the 2021 bull run. Accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP), payroll, treasury management, creator payments, and remittances are all going to start to flow through these new startups that are going to be default onchain onboarding the next millions of people to blockchain-based assets. While speculation will always be a use case, we’re entering the era of real innovation,” Lehtiniitty adds.

3. Regulatory Clarity

The upcoming Trump presidential administration is expected to create a more deregulated environment for crypto.

But it’s not the only jurisdiction undergoing a shift, according to George Georgiades, General Counsel at Borderless.xyz:

“In the United States, the New Year will begin with the inauguration of a new president and administration with a stated commitment to fostering innovation in the crypto industry. Globally, MiCA (the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) along with other regulatory frameworks come in full effect and, although not perfect, will accelerate institutional adoption of blockchain technology.”

“I expect to see greater engagement between regulators and market participants that will lead to clarity on several complex legal issues ranging from the SEC’s treatment of certain digital assets as securities to evolving anti-money laundering requirements, a reduction in enforcement actions and re-engagement by lawmakers.”

4. Convergence of AI, DePIN

Clara Tsao, founding officer at Filecoin Foundation, tells TheStreet Crypto about the growing intersection of AI and DePIN in 2025.

“Founders and developers working at this junction now are early, but we can expect to see the overlaps between AI and DePIN expanding rapidly in 2025,” Tsao tells TheStreet Crypto.

“DePIN can address some of the AI industry’s most persistent challenges by breaking through scaling bottlenecks, democratizing computational resources, and embedding trust in data.”

“According to a16z, last year, 5% of builders in AI were leveraging DePIN technology. In 2024, this portion has more than doubled to 12%, and the overall share of builders at the convergence of DePIN and AI has increased by nearly 200%,” she tells TheStreet Crypto.

5. NFTs Expand Use Cases

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) had a breakout year in 2024, with use cases expanding beyond digital art collectibles into music, gaming, and even real estate.

While the NFT market experienced a downturn in 2022 and 2023, it began to recover in 2024 as major brands, celebrities, and institutions entered the space.

This trend is expected to continue in 2025, with NFTs being used for a wider range of applications, including digital identity, supply chain management, and ticketing.