The crypto market moves towards mainstream, results of the 2025 industry selection announced

In 2024, the crypto market witnessed several milestone events, marking the industry's formal move towards mainstream adoption. The approval of Bitcoin spot ETFs and Ethereum spot ETFs opened the door for traditional financial institutions to enter the crypto space. After the Bitcoin halving, prices surged significantly. Crypto practitioners played an important role in the U.S. elections, and mainstream media's attention on the industry significantly increased. The liquidity of stablecoins continued to grow, and on-chain activity kept rising. Phenomenal meme coins rapidly emerged, triggering a MEME supercycle. The combination of AI and encryption technology became a new hotspot, with smart agents becoming the new standard for crypto trading.

Against this backdrop, an annual selection event called "Becoming Mainstream" is held to recognize Web3 projects, teams, and individuals that have contributed to bringing the industry into the mainstream. After rigorous selection and review, a total of 22 authoritative awards were finally selected, covering 141 projects/companies and 10 individuals.

Annual Outstanding Contribution Award

The results of the selection show that Bitcoin, Base, and Solana have received the Annual Outstanding Contribution Award. These projects have excelled in multiple dimensions such as technological innovation, ecosystem development, market influence, and community building, making significant contributions to the advancement of the industry.

Annual Innovation Award

10 projects have been awarded the Annual Innovation Award, namely ai16z, Ethena, Fractal Bitcoin, GMGNAi, GOAT, Hyperliquid, Mind Network, Polymarket, Pump.fun, and Virtuals Protocol. These projects have excelled in new technological mechanisms, innovative economic models, business models, investment models, and asset issuance methods, bringing new vitality and opportunities to the market.

Annual Application Award

The Annual Application Awards cover multiple sub-sectors including DeFi, Web3 games, Web3 social, RWA, DePIN, AI+Web3 integration, and NFTs, with a total of 45 projects standing out.

In the DeFi sector, 10 projects including Aave, Ethena, and Hyperliquid won awards. In the Web3 gaming space, 5 projects such as Big Time and Blocklords performed exceptionally well. The winners in the Web3 social domain include 5 projects like Farcaster and Lens Protocol. In the RWA sector, 5 projects including MANTRA and Ondo Finance stood out. The winners in the DePIN field include 5 projects like DBunker and Grass. In the AI+Web3 combination area, 5 projects such as ai16z and DIN performed prominently. In the NFT sector, 5 projects like Azuki and Bitcoin Puppets are the most popular.

Best Infrastructure of the Year

20 projects have won the Annual Best Infrastructure Award, covering multiple categories such as L1, L2, and tools.

In the L1 field, five projects including BNB Chain and Ethereum received awards. In the L2 aspect, five projects such as Arbitrum and Base performed excellently. In the tools category, ten projects including BlockPI and CoinGlass stood out.

Most Promising Projects

The selection event also specifically focused on potential projects in the Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and TON ecosystems, with a total of 25 projects selected.

In the Bitcoin ecosystem, 5 projects such as Babylon and Bitlayer are rated as the most promising. In the Ethereum ecosystem, 10 projects including Arbitrum and EigenLayer have performed outstandingly. In the TON ecosystem, 5 projects like Catizen and DOGS have been selected. In the Solana ecosystem, 5 projects such as Jupiter and Meteora are considered to have the greatest development potential.

Other Important Awards

The annual selection also awarded several special awards:

• Most popular MEME of the year: AIXBT, BOME and 10 other projects selected.
• Most Influential KOL of the Year: Ansem, Biteye, and 10 other KOLs have been recognized.
• The most influential Web3 conferences of the year: Bitcoin2024, BREAK POINT 2024, and 3 other conferences selected.
• Best Investment Institutions of the Year: a16z, Alliance and 10 other institutions were awarded.
• Best Exchange of the Year: Binance, Bitget, and 6 other exchanges stood out.
• Best Columnists: Arthur Hayes, NingNing, and 10 other columnists have been recognized.

2024 is seen as a critical turning point in the encryption field, with multiple factors driving profound changes in the market structure. With Wall Street giants joining, Bitcoin halving, regulatory frameworks becoming clearer, traditional institutions opening up to crypto asset allocation, the impact of the U.S. elections, and technology maturing, cryptocurrencies are expected to gain a more defined position and broader recognition in the global financial system by 2025. This selection aims to showcase emerging trends and development potential in the crypto industry, encouraging more industry pioneers and innovators to actively participate in the long-term construction of the crypto ecosystem.