2025-12-24 12:24:41

SocialFi has been a hot topic in recent years, but honestly, it's pretty much cooled down now. Interestingly, exchanges and new trading frontends are secretly developing social features, and it seems like this path might really be the right one.

Tykoo, director of investment firm Paramita, recently shared a view that AI is changing the competitive barriers of trading products. By 2026, the most promising track might actually be the "integration of social trading and prediction markets." From Base App to GMGN, new social layers are rewriting the way trading is done.

Why did SocialFi die, but social features become the new moat for exchanges?

Tykoo pointed out the key issue: the failure of SocialFi lies in forcing financial elements into social platforms, which is the wrong logic. The successful approach is actually the opposite—embedding social genes into trading products.

Look at GMGN's group formation feature, Pump.fun's live interaction, Hyperliquid's copy trading and competitions, Polymarket's comment section—these platforms share a common point: they are fundamentally trading tools, but they actively create sticky social ecosystems. Why design it this way?

First, to expand network effects. Now that AI can quickly replicate any product, social networks, content accumulation, and real trading records become the hardest-to-copy moats. Second, to compete for attention. The significance of social features for trading platforms is not just to retain users but also to turn trading decisions into community events through real trading sharing and interactions.

What does this path mean for exchanges? Simply put, whoever can embed social features into the trading process will have the advantage in the 2026 competition.

PUMP1.74%

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SerumSquirter

· 6h ago

This reverse logic is actually ingenious... Adding social features in trading vs adding financial features in social, it's worlds apart. The GMGN team has indeed figured out the trick, and now everyone is copying them. The moat is stickiness; AI can't replicate user relationship networks, I agree on that. Wait, then why haven't Blur's social features taken off yet... Is it only small coin platforms that are easy to become popular? That wave of SocialFi was indeed a mess, but it seems like the current approach is really different. If 2026 really turns out like this, is there still a chance to get in now...

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FlatTax

· 6h ago

The logic is reversed, and this point is spot on. Those previous SocialFi projects were truly awkward. In trading, social interaction feels more natural; people just want to band together for warmth. GMGN has basically figured out the trick this time. To be honest, AI can replicate products, but it can't replicate that group of genuine traders—that's the moat. I see many people getting hyped about Pump.fun's live streaming, but as long as it makes money, that's fine. By 2026, it will probably come down to who has stronger social stickiness—boring.

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MetaverseHobo

· 6h ago

I am a Web3 veteran with a history of making early moves, having seen too many projects fall from heaven to hell. This article is spot on; the SocialFi approach is indeed a reverse operation—forcing shopping carts into restaurants. No wonder it’s dying out. But what’s truly interesting is that now exchanges are hiding social features within trading, which is much more covert and, damn it, much more effective. GMGN, Pump, those guys really get what stickiness means—not through token incentives or illusions, but through real trading records and leaderboards. That’s humanity’s weakness. When it comes to moats, I have the most say. What seems like a simple design is actually a battle for your attention and trust—these two things are far more valuable than code. 2026? I dare to bet that this path has long been a foregone conclusion, as long as no new monsters or demons pop up to stir the pot again.

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