4 Web3 Trends to Watch Out For in 2024 and 2025

Blockchain technology is a major part of many economies around the world today, as it has enabled never-before-seen efficiency in not only the finance sector but also other industries. For instance, NFT trends that resulted from the revolutionary blockchain platform have quickly become valuable assets for a variety of industries. 

Due to the rise of Web3’s popularity, other innovative aspects of the sector, such as cryptocurrencies, have undergone some major changes in the post-pandemic era. As it stands, the future of web3 features such as NFTs does seem bright, seeing how everyday people have grown to embrace digital assets. 

As of today, large research organizations are dedicating resources to advancements in blockchain technology, and the keen interest from tech behemoths like IBM is playing a crucial role in making digital currencies mainstream. As such, today we’ll be exploring four trends you need to watch out for in 2024 and 2025.

1. Web3 Applications in the Online Gambling Industry

Nowadays, more and more people across the globe are using cryptocurrency to purchase not only digital assets such as NFTs but also everyday items online, pay for services, and even gamble. The financial anonymity that cryptocurrencies provide is an exclusive feature unmatched by anything else in the finance world. 

To illustrate, the popular game of crypto poker offers benefits like extremely fast deposits and withdrawals 24/7. Since no banks are involved in the process, not only are the transactions swift, but they are also very low-cost, which encourages players to enjoy poker games for more. For instance, Ignition Poker allows crypto deposits as low as $10 and withdrawals up to $9,500, typically processed within 24 hours.

With crypto poker, players can access a variety of games including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and fast-fold poker, with monthly tournaments boasting prize pools of up to $1 million. What’s more, many operators provide bonuses for cryptocurrency players, a norm in the industry that rewards bigger welcome bonuses than they do for credit card users since they also benefit from the lower transaction fees. 

Aside from this, using web3 digital currencies in gambling breaks geographical payment barriers, thus granting players from any part of the world access to their favorite games at online casinos, which they wouldn’t be able to normally enjoy with traditional payment methods. In fact, the use of such technology is one of the main reasons why the online gambling industry has grown so much in such a short period of time.

As long as the player has their device – be it a laptop or a phone connected to the internet – they can log in and play the game of their choice on an online casino platform for real money. 

As such, the online gambling industry is just one of the many industries that have greatly benefited from the rise of the cryptocurrency market and the advancement of blockchain technology. Now, with the growing regulation of Web3 technology by government bodies, we might see an even bigger surge in bettors. 

Moreover, there are other aspects that are expected to be implemented in the near future, such as the inclusion of NFTs. This leads us to the next trend to keep an eye out for.

2. NFTs Entering the Gaming Space

NFTs have penetrated the gaming space and have transformed how ownership of digital assets works. Unlike cryptocurrencies on the blockchain, a non-fungible token is unique and cannot be divided into smaller parts, but its ownership can be transferred to other users, and it can be sold or traded. In video games, they can be used to prove ownership of a rare item, character, piece of art, weapon, and more.

This is revolutionary for games that have collectible items, as every piece of NFT is unique and cannot be substituted for anything else. Furthermore, a creator of a digital art piece or content can leverage blockchain technology to receive royalties as the processes are automatically carried out by smart contracts.

Games, where incredibly valuable collectible in-game items can be obtained by players, have existed since before the advent of NFTs. Now with this new technology in play, creators, developers, and publishers can easily tokenize their content on the blockchain, offering everyone a new way of monetizing content. 

NFTs are like digital real estate, they can be sold for real money or traded for other NFTs or cryptocurrency, depending on the chosen market. In fact, some of the tokenized art on the blockchain is being sold for millions, proving its popularity. 

In addition, NFT games like Axie Infinity and Splinterlands have also become very popular in recent years. Slowly but surely, NFTs are becoming more mainstream and practical, rather than focusing on the aspect of owning one-of-a-kind digital art.

3. Approval of ETFs by the SEC

In January 2024, the SEC approved Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and just after a few months, the commission also approved Ethereum ETFs for trading. Both events sent ripples across the industry, which improved mainstream and investor confidence in digital assets.

The rise in prices of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital currencies this year can be largely attributed to these events. The public’s optimism around decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has grown significantly this year, and it seems this will continue to rise in 2025.

4. Rise in Web3 User Engagement

The first quarter of 2024 saw a significant uptick in blockchain user activity, as reported by DappRadar. The number of daily unique active wallets (dUAW) climbed to around 10 million, representing a 40% growth compared to the previous quarter. This increase was particularly notable in the social application domain, where platforms like Fantasy.top and UXLINK contributed to a striking 66% rise in dUAW.

In Q2 2024, Web3 saw a further increase in daily active users, which is a new milestone for the new blockchain-based internet. With how transparent Web3 is and it being an extension of NFTs and other blockchain products, there are many opportunities here for developers and investors alike. The rise in popularity of such products is a testament to the fact that the digital landscape is going to transform dramatically in the coming years.