The crypto market, despite experiencing throughout the year major price fluctuations, security incidents, and legal hurdles, has experienced remarkable growth.

This can be attributed to the expansion of digital asset treasuries (DATs), increased institutional adoption, and new initiatives aimed at integrating digital assets, particularly stablecoins, into traditional financial sectors.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) recently shared their projections for the crypto landscape for the remainder of the year and years to come, highlighting nine key trends expected to be major catalysts for the industry.

Key Legislative Changes And Institutional Adoption 

Firstly, market structure legislation in the US is expected to emerge as a critical priority for policymakers and Congress, establishing a clear regulatory framework that supports crypto developers. 

The passage of the GENIUS Act in July of this year also marked a pivotal moment, garnering bipartisan support and providing builders with much-needed certainty in their endeavors.

Secondly, the adoption of stablecoins is set to accelerate as network effects take hold among financial institutions, merchants, and consumers, thereby enhancing the global standing of the US dollar.

Furthermore, major players like JPMorgan, Citi, BlackRock, and Fidelity are amplifying their crypto offerings through new product launches, partnerships, and acquisitions. 

The infrastructure supporting blockchain technology is also advancing rapidly. Current networks can process over 3,400 transactions per second, marking a 100-fold increase over the past five years.

Moreover, a new wave of real-world assets (RWAs) is transitioning onto the blockchain as the worlds of crypto and traditional finance converge. The market for tokenized real-world assets has expanded to nearly $30 billion, with significant contributions from Treasuries, money market funds, and private credit.

The Future Of Crypto

In parallel, the crypto sector is attracting a growing pool of talent, driven by a more favorable regulatory environment and the emergence of new opportunities for developers.

The focus on revenue generation is also shifting within the token ecosystem. More tokens are implementing fee mechanisms, redirecting attention toward fundamental value. In the past year, users have paid $33 billion in fees, resulting in $18 billion for projects and $4 billion for token holders. 

Innovative consumer products are also expected to drive the next wave of crypto adoption. Although approximately 716 million people now own cryptocurrency, only 40 to 70 million are considered active users. 

Ultimately, 2025 is poised to lay the groundwork and establish the foundations for the years to come. It is expected to be a transformative year for the crypto industry, characterized by widespread institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and tangible utility. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Despite facing criticism for lagging behind the United States in creating a more accommodating environment for cryptocurrency growth and adoption, China reaffirmed its stringent stance on crypto once again this week. 

Authorities issued warnings about the alleged risks posed by stablecoins, particularly amid concerns that the US may have solidified its dollar dominance through these digital assets.

US GENIUS Act Vs. China’s Crypto Caution

According to local media reports, Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China, announced plans to expand the use of the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), known as the “e-CNY.” 

He remarked, “[Stablecoins] are still in their early stages of development,” emphasizing that financial regulators globally remain cautious about these assets, which are typically pegged to other currencies.

In the United States, however, Trump’s policies toward digital assets have resulted in the passage of the GENIUS Act, as the first crypto bill aimed at laying the framework for the adoption of these dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies. 

Yet, Pan highlighted that stablecoins currently fail to meet essential requirements such as customer identification and anti-money laundering (AML) measures, which could allegedly exacerbate gaps in global financial regulation. 

He expressed concern that these issues foster a “speculative market atmosphere,” increasing vulnerabilities in the global financial system and affecting the monetary sovereignty of less developed economies. 

The central bank plans to collaborate with law enforcement to continue cracking down on domestic operations and speculation related to crypto. “The policies and measures implemented since 2017 to address risks associated with virtual currencies remain in effect,” he stated.

Regulatory Revisions Ahead

Despite China’s continuous crypto crackdown, research on stablecoins is progressing within China. The country’s largest government-backed research fund recently opened applications for studies focused on stablecoins and their cross-border monitoring systems, offering grants ranging from 200,000 yuan (approximately $28,083) to 300,000 yuan ($42,126).

The central bank also plans to optimize the positioning of the digital yuan, allowing more commercial banks to participate in the pilot program that has been running in over two dozen cities since 2019, accumulating a transaction value exceeding 14 trillion yuan.

Zhu Hexin, director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, indicated that nine new policy measures would soon be introduced to promote trade innovation and development, with the potential to bring positive developments for the growth of the crypto ecosystem in the Asian country. 

Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, also hinted at the possibility of such measures, stating that the regulator would review listing standards on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s ChiNext board to better align with the characteristics of emerging fields and future industries.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

After months of growing uncertainty and anticipation, the debut of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Hedera (HBAR) and Litecoin (LTC) is set to commence tomorrow, as confirmed by Canary Capital’s CEO Steven McClurg on Monday.

Hedera And Litecoin ETF Launches Imminent

Crypto reporter Eleanor Terret shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the ETF launches for Litecoin and Hedera are imminent, with a statement from McClurg underscoring the excitement for the upcoming launch.

Notably, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has also made significant moves in the ETF sector by certifying 8-A filings and issuing listing notices for Bitwise Invest’s spot Solana (SOL) ETF launch tomorrow and Grayscale’s GSOL conversion slated for Wednesday.

Despite the ongoing government shutdown, these ETF debuts are proceeding smoothly, Terret confirmed. The legal processes behind ETF launches, including the crucial 8-A filings, have been completed successfully, paving the way for the launch of these investment vehicles.

ETF Listings Confirmed

Addressing concerns about Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approval during the shutdown, a key detail emerged: the issuers strategically included provisions in their amended S-1 filings, enabling automatic effectiveness 20 days post-filing. This ensures a seamless transition to trading without manual SEC approval.

Bloomberg’s ETF expert, Eric Balchunas, further corroborated this development on social media, confirming the listing notices for Bitwise, Canary, to launch imminently, with grayscale Solana’s conversion scheduled shortly after. Balchunas stated, “Assuming there’s not some last min SEC intervention, looks like this is happening.”

The news has sparked a recovery in HBAR and LTC prices. Litecoin has regained the key $100 mark with a 2% surge in the 24-hour time frame, while Hedera has seen similar gains of 2.1% during the same period. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com