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#WhichSectorsAreYouWatchingIn2025? As we approach the end of 2025, it’s clear that this year served as a defining and instructive phase for the crypto market. More than short-term price action, sector survival and structural strengthening provided the clearest signals about where the industry is heading. Hype alone was no longer enough — utility, revenue, and durability became the deciding factors.
AI & Blockchain Convergence
Throughout 2025, AI-focused blockchain projects moved beyond narrative and into execution. Platforms that integrated automation, decentralized data processing, AI-driven analytics, and smart-contract optimization demonstrated tangible value. These projects benefited from real demand, especially from enterprises and developers seeking efficiency gains. As a result, the AI-crypto intersection emerged as one of the strongest and most resilient sectors of the year.
Privacy & Data Protection Solutions
Contrary to early fears, rising regulatory scrutiny did not push privacy into obscurity. Instead, it reinforced its importance. Zero-knowledge proofs, advanced encryption, and privacy-preserving computation quietly became essential infrastructure. Privacy projects did not dominate headlines, but they showed consistent development and stability — positioning them as long-term foundational layers rather than speculative trades.
Real World Assets (RWA)
Real World Assets became the most institutionally trusted gateway into crypto in 2025. Tokenized bonds, funds, treasuries, and physical assets offered predictable cash flows and regulatory clarity. This sector bridged traditional finance and blockchain more effectively than any other, attracting conservative capital and establishing itself as a core pillar of crypto’s future financial stack.
Modular Blockchains & Layer-2 Ecosystem
Network congestion, scalability limits, and transaction costs remained critical pain points throughout the year. In response, modular blockchain architectures and Layer-2 solutions shifted from experimental concepts to industry standards. Developers increasingly favored flexible execution layers, data availability solutions, and rollups — signaling a structural evolution in how blockchains are designed and scaled.
DeFi 2.0 & Real Yield Models
2025 marked the end of unsustainable DeFi incentives. High-APR, inflation-driven models faded, while protocols offering real yield, fee sharing, and sustainable revenue streams endured. DeFi matured into a more disciplined financial layer, focusing on profitability, risk management, and long-term capital efficiency rather than short-term speculation.
Web3 Gaming & Digital Identity
Web3 gaming experienced a reality check. Many projects failed to meet expectations, but others quietly focused on gameplay, retention, and infrastructure. 2025 became a foundation-building year, not a breakout year. In parallel, digital identity solutions gained relevance as on-chain reputation, credentials, and ownership models began integrating with gaming, social platforms, and DeFi.
Key Takeaway from 2025
2025 was the year when projects without substance were filtered out. Narrative alone no longer sustained value. What remained were teams building real products, generating revenue, and prioritizing sustainability. The market delivered a clear lesson:
The future belongs to those who build quietly — not those who make the most noise.
Looking Ahead to 2026
With these foundations now in place, the key question moving forward is not which sectors are loudest — but which can scale adoption, deepen utility, and integrate with the real economy.
Which sectors will expand on this groundwork in 2026?
That is where the next cycle of long-term winners will emerge.