Everything has evolved and mass adoption has already begun

The concept of survival of the fittest is not exclusive to biology—it exists in financial markets too. We’ve seen it in Japan’s real estate bubble in the 1980s, the Dot-Com boom of the 1990s, and the U.S. housing crash of the 2000s. Each time, hype drove valuations to unsustainable heights, only for the weak players to collapse, leaving behind those with real, lasting value.

For years, skeptics have said crypto is just another bubble waiting to pop. Yet, in my opinion, despite cycles of hype and panic, the industry continues to evolve, adapt, and integrate deeper into the financial system. Entire sectors—like NFTs, DeFi, and memecoins—have gone through their own survival battles, shedding weak projects while the strongest innovators push forward.

From Speculation to Real Integration

Take NFTs, for example. While blue-chip projects like Bored Ape Yacht Club saw their values plummet from all-time highs, I believe the underlying technology is proving resilient. Tokenized assets are now used in financial markets, luxury item authentication, ticketing, and even ID verification.

In my opinion, this mainstream adoption was heavily driven by the initial NFT boom, which brought mass attention to the space. Just like the Dot-Com crash weeded out weak startups but left behind Amazon and Google, the NFT hype phase cleared out cash grabs, leaving room for real builders to continue innovating.

From Gray Area to Institutional Adoption

DeFi is a sector I’m particularly proud of. Total Value Locked (TVL) surged 116% to $134 billion, showing, in my opinion, growing institutional trust in decentralized finance.

Regulation, once considered DeFi’s biggest roadblock, is now bringing legitimacy. The U.S. SEC investigated Uniswap, but with no formal charges, I believe this signals that regulators are trying to understand DeFi rather than shut it down.

Even more promising: Trump’s administration recently dropped a key lawsuit, and with MiCA and clearer U.S. guidelines on the way, I think DeFi is poised for explosive growth. Partnerships like Metamask Metal Card and Transak’s integration now allow users to bypass centralized exchanges when spending crypto, further blurring the lines between DeFi and TradFi.

In my opinion, this is a huge deal, not just for DeFi but for crypto adoption as a whole.

What Comes Next for Memecoins?

Ever heard of Metcalfe’s Law? It states that a network’s value grows exponentially as more users join. This logic has been applied to memecoins, but as Andrew Chen from a16z pointed out, not all connections hold equal value—network effects alone don’t guarantee long-term sustainability.

“Metcalfe’s Law leaves out important phases of building a network, like what you do right at the beginning when no one is using your product. Nor does it consider the quality of user engagement, and the multi-sidedness of many networks.”

This is why, in my opinion, some memecoins die out quickly, while others—like DOGE, SHIB, and BONK—continue to thrive. A developer friend once told me: “You don’t disassemble Rolexes to get copper parts to make a toy watch.” That’s the power of perceived value.

Some argue memecoins have zero utility, while others say their tradability itself IS the utility. But with fewer new launches and the cooling off of speculative mania, I believe memecoins could be at a critical turning point. If they survive, they’ll need to evolve beyond just hype—the question is, how? That’s 

Final Thoughts: Crypto is Here to Stay

While NFTs, DeFi, and memecoins each face their own battles, I believe the broader trend is clear: Crypto is not a fad. It’s evolving, maturing, and integrating into mainstream finance.

Call me optimistic, but I believe the best is yet to come.