2024 will go down in history as a record year for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin broke the symbolic $100,000 mark for the first time, reaffirming its status as a digital safe haven. Ethereum has also been breaking records. Many altcoins such as Solana, Avalanche and XRP have managed to erase several years of bear market in record time, signaling the beginning of a bull run that promises to be legendary.
As 2025 approaches, the cryptocurrency industry continues to evolve at breakneck speed. The technological innovations and market dynamics that started in 2024 are shaping the fascinating future of this ever-changing ecosystem. Here are the key trends that could revolutionize the crypto economy in the coming months.
- 2024 was a significant year for cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin breaking the all-time mark of $100,000 and starting a legendary bull run.
- Technological innovations such as second-layer solutions and resacking have reshaped the cryptoecosystem and offer exciting prospects for 2025.
Bitcoin: an increasingly important role for cryptocurrencies
This year, Bitcoin has consolidated its dominance. In 2024 approval The US Spot Bitcoin ETF marked a turning point. This financial instrument attracted a massive influx of institutional investors and pushed Bitcoin to a new phase of global recognition. At the same time, innovations such as BRC-20 they have expanded the use cases of bitcoin.
In 2025, restrictive monetary policies in many countries it could further strengthen its role as a safe haven, especially in unstable economies. These won’t wait until 2025, and projects or other proposed laws regarding national bitcoin reserves continue to flourish around the world.
In fact, countries like El Salvador that have adopted Bitcoin as their official currency continue to inspire other nations and scare the IMF with specific applications.
Ethereum: the cryptocurrency engine
Ethereum remains central pillar of decentralized applications (dApps) and many blockchain innovations. In 2024, several events strengthened it dominant positionand there are promising prospects for 2025.
Layer 2 in search of scalability
In order to overcome scalability limitations and reduce transaction fees on the mainnet, Ethereum has for several yearsthe emergence and growing adoption of layer 2 solutions. These protocols run on top of the main blockchain and provide faster and cheaper transactions.
We can think e.g StarkNet. StarkNet, based on zk-Rollups technology, allows multiple transactions to be consolidated into a single cryptographic proof, reducing the load on the main network. In February 2024, StarkNet completed a drop your STRK token, aimed at further decentralizing the network and promoting community participation.
Arbitrum (ARB) and Optimism (OP) it did not go unnoticed this year either. These two L2 use optimistic summaries improve the scalability of Ethereum. Launched in August 2021, Arbitrum has since gained popularity due to its ability to process transactions off-chain, reducing congestion and fees on the mainnet. For its part, Optimism offers increased compatibility with existing smart contracts, making it easier to deploy them on its platform.
2025: a busy year for Ethereum
In 2025, Ethereum plans to integrate significant improvements to strengthen its scalability and efficiency.
THE Danksharding is the next key step in the development of Ethereum, which aims to significantly improve the scalability of the network. It is part of a technology roadmap created by Ethereum developers to meet the growing needs of users and decentralized applications.
Danksharding is a sharding approach applied to Ethereum. Sharding generally involves dividing the blockchain into multiple segments called shards, each of which processes a fraction of the network’s transactions and data. This allows for parallel processing, thus increasing the overall capacity of the network, as we will explain in detail in this article.
Real Asset Tokenization (RWA)
In 2024, Real-World Assets (RWA) continued to gain momentum. Real estate, art or government bonds, these assets have been transformed into exchangeable tokens on the blockchain, revolutionizing access to these markets previously reserved for the elite.
In 2025, this trend is expected to accelerate with the emergence of common standards for smart contracts that will facilitate interoperability between different platforms. Large institutions like BlackRock should continue to be actively involved in this area.
In Europe too, tokenization has managed to win over many institutions. Banque de France and SG-FORGE he even conducted tests in this direction a few days ago.
DePIN: decentralized physical infrastructures
THE DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) they have redefined the way we view traditional infrastructure. In 2024, projects like Helium made it possible to create decentralized telecommunications networks, while Filecoin green focused on the sustainability of the storage infrastructure.
By 2025, the adoption of DePIN numbers in sectors such as renewable energy and transport could create a snowball effect. Smart cities will adopt these models to optimize their public services, reduce costs and promote community engagement.
The Zama project, a French startup specializing in fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). This revolutionary technology makes it possible to perform calculations on encrypted data without the need to decrypt it beforehand, thus ensuring complete confidentiality during the entire data processing process.
Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) greatly benefit from Zama’s advances. By enabling secure and confidential data processing, Zama FHE ensures that sensitive information circulating in these networks remains protected against any form of unauthorized access, as we explain in detail in this file.
Cryptocurrency Airdrops and Stakes: Towards New Economic Models
Airdrops have become more sophisticated in 2024 and target active and loyal users. Staking models, in turn, made it possible to strengthen the security of the network while maintaining effective decentralization. Among them we can think of:
Movement Network (MOVE)
In December 2024, Movement Network, an Ethereum layer 2 powered by the Move Virtual Machine (MoveVM), distributed 1 billion MOVE tokens to its community, or 10% of its total supply. Eligibility criteria included participation in the Porto or Suzuka test networks, completion of specific tasks and active involvement within the community.
Hyperliquid (HYPER)
In November 2024, Hyperliquid, a decentralized exchange platform, completed an airdrop by distributing 31% of its total supply of HYPER tokens. This initiative aimed to reward early adopters and encourage adoption of the platform.
StarkNet (STRK)
In February 2024, StarkNet, the zk-Rollup scalability solution for Ethereum, launched an airdrop of its STRK token. The goal was to further decentralize the network and encourage community participation by rewarding users who interacted with the protocol during its testing phases.
Usual
Usual, a platform dedicated to the circular economy, launched in September 2024, distributing USUAL tokens to users who participate in its testnet and complete specific actions in its protocol. The goal of this airdrop was to encourage the adoption of the platform while rewarding active members of its community.
Athena (ETHN)
Athena, a decentralized stablecoin protocol, launched its first airdrop in October 2024. Users who interacted with early versions of its smart contracts and provided liquidity to its pools were rewarded with ETHN tokens. This initiative aimed to increase community involvement while promoting greater decentralization of protocol management.
Numerous landings also marked the end of a bear market and its progress, such as HMSTR on Telegram, which managed to attract special attention by focusing on an active and engaged user base.
2024: emergence of cryptocurrency reselling
THE reassessment is a new thing that gained popularity in 2024. It is a method for validators reuse your staked tokens secure multiple protocols simultaneously, thereby increasing the efficiency and resilience of blockchain ecosystems.
What is restaking?
Traditional staking involves locking tokens to the protocol to help keep it safe while earning rewards. Restaking extends this concept by allowing these staked tokens to be used for other security services on different protocols while maintaining their original functionality.
For example, a validator on Ethereum can resubmit its tokens to participate in the security of other compatible protocols, such as those on EigenLayer.
Effect of EigenLayer
In 2024 project Custom layer proved to be a pioneer of restaking. It allows Ethereum validators to extend security to other networks using the same staked tokens, without the need for additional resources. This approach offers several advantages:
- Increased efficiency : One set of tokens can secure multiple networks.
- Reduced costs : Validators maximize their profitability.
- Connecting ecosystems : Networks work together to create shared security.
2025: a promising year for cryptocurrencies
2025 promises to be a period of consolidation and innovation for cryptocurrencies. Driven by exceptional performance in 2024 and significant technological advances, the sector continues to attract the attention of investors and governments.
Whether it’s institutional adoption, technical innovation, or new economic models, it’s clear that the cryptoecosystem is poised to beat the twelve strikes of midnight, fueled by favorable context and predictions from big financial enthusiasts for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.