TOKEN2049 Dubai 2025: New Trends and Insights in the Crypto Assets Field

The TOKEN2049 conference in Dubai in 2025 was grandly held at Madinat Jumeirah, attracting over 15,000 participants. Unlike last year, which was partially interrupted due to weather conditions, this year's event took place under clear skies, creating an optimistic and positive atmosphere on-site. In addition to the main venue, there were over 500 peripheral activities, covering investor meetups, project showcases, and social parties. Participants mainly came from various fields including exchanges, public chains, foundations, market makers, and public relations firms, adding diversity to the discussions. This conference solidified Dubai's position as an important Crypto Assets hub and engaged in in-depth discussions on key topics such as market strategies, regulatory transparency, and future adoption.

Investment Strategy Shift to Secondary Market

At this conference, a significant trend that investors are generally focused on is the notable shift in capital allocation strategies. Compared to the past when there was an active bet on early projects in the primary market, there is now a greater inclination to engage in cautious allocation in the secondary market. This shift stems from the lessons learned during previous market adjustments, prompting venture capital firms to reassess their risk tolerance and place more emphasis on capital efficiency.

Many investors are no longer directing funds towards emerging teams with unverified products, but instead prefer mature digital assets that demonstrate resilience during market fluctuations. These assets typically include leading Layer 1 projects, validated DeFi protocols, and mature application layer TOKENS, which not only provide good liquidity but also have clearer value propositions.

Investors believe that accumulating funds in the secondary market has multiple advantages: it can achieve more optimized pricing, shorten the speculation cycle, and allow for real-time access to performance data. This practice reflects the overall maturity of the Crypto Assets venture capital field, with investment decisions increasingly based on thematic insights, long-term allocation, and strict capital discipline, rather than short-term speculation.

Against the backdrop of ongoing uncertainties in the macroeconomy, venture capital firms view exposure to the secondary market not only as a hedging tool but also as a strategic lever to increase investments in high-quality projects. Some proprietary investment companies that manage large-scale assets have long adopted strategic long-term strategies to accumulate secondary market investments, focusing on fundamentally strong assets with reasonable valuations. This enables them to establish sustainable long-term positions, prudently manage risks, and consistently adhere to a long-term investment philosophy without relying on short-term trading or leverage.

Application Layer Projects Become Investment Focus

Another obvious trend at this conference is that investors are increasingly focused on application layer and practical projects, rather than infrastructure. In the past few years, a large amount of capital has flowed into infrastructure projects such as L1, L2, rollup, and modular frameworks. However, as these infrastructures gradually improve, the investment focus has clearly shifted towards upper-layer application projects.

Investors and developers are looking for projects that can provide real value, attract user participation, and ultimately generate actual revenue. Projects with a strong foundational protocol, such as those that have already found product-market fit, have stable daily active users, and a profitable model, have received the most attention. Whether in the fields of payments, DePIN, digital identity, gaming, or creator tools, projects that can demonstrate user retention and early profitability have become the focus of discussion.

This trend indicates that the market is maturing and is no longer limited to speculative narratives. Innovations at the application layer are now seen as the main driver of the next wave of adoption. Investors are looking for projects that can develop independently, withstand market cycles, and truly empower real-world applications of Web3. It can be said that if the infrastructure has laid the road, then everyone is now paying attention to the "traffic" on the road.

AI, RWA and stablecoins have become hot topics

At the TOKEN2049 Dubai summit, three areas continued to dominate discussions: artificial intelligence ( AI ), real-world assets ( RWA ), and stablecoins. These are not just hot topics; they represent structural trends that many investors believe will define the next growth phase of Crypto Assets.

The integration of AI and blockchain has garnered widespread attention, particularly in areas such as autonomous agents, decentralized computing networks, and AI data verification tools. RWA continues to attract institutional investor interest due to its tokenization potential and its ability to simplify the access process for traditional illiquid assets such as real estate, bonds, and private credit. Stablecoins remain the backbone of on-chain liquidity, but the focus of discussions is shifting toward multi-chain models that comply with regulatory requirements, generate yield, and can scale globally.

What drives this optimism is not only technological advancements but also the ever-changing external environment, particularly the policy changes in major jurisdictions and the ongoing efforts to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework. These changes are expected to create a more favorable environment for application deployment, attracting institutional capital and mainstream users into the space. Overall, the atmosphere at TOKEN2049 reflects a cautiously optimistic attitude: while industry participants are still steadily advancing projects, favorable factors are accumulating.

New Social Activity Model

This year's TOKEN2049 Dubai adopted an innovative event model. Unlike traditional large gatherings, the organizers chose a more relaxed format—a five-day coffee series event that brought a refreshing experience to the attendees. Each day, the first 30 guests who arrived at carefully selected local cafes received free coffee, all located near the busiest event venues in Dubai.

This approach provides participants with a temporary escape from the hustle and bustle of the conference, allowing them to taste the best iced coffee in Dubai and engage in deeper conversations in a more intimate setting. Both the investment team and the marketing team have the opportunity to have in-depth dialogues with project parties, investors, and friends, with many continuing to converse even after finishing their coffee. These relaxed morning and afternoon moments offer valuable time for true listening, sharing ideas, and building connections that go beyond everyday quick exchanges.

Industry Development Trends and Future Outlook

After a week of vibrant exchanges, strategic insights sharing, and community interactions, the 2025 Dubai TOKEN2049 Summit provided clear guidance for the direction of industry development. From the maturation of investment strategies to a greater focus on practical applications and user experiences, the event reinforced the industry's confidence in long-term value creation.

As investors' strategies become more mature, the market's emphasis on actual utility and user experience is continuously increasing, and the crypto assets industry is developing towards a more robust and sustainable direction. The rise of application layer projects, the integration of AI and blockchain, the tokenization of RWA, and the innovation of stablecoins all indicate that the industry is about to迎来新一轮的创新浪潮和价值释放.

Despite facing numerous challenges, industry participants generally maintain a cautiously optimistic attitude. With the gradual clarification of the regulatory environment and the increase in institutional participation, the crypto assets industry is expected to achieve larger-scale applications and adoption in the coming years.

The TOKEN2049 Dubai conference is not only a comprehensive review of the current state of the industry but also points the way for future development. As discussions continue to deepen, the industry looks forward to maintaining this momentum in the subsequent conferences this year and further advancing these important topics at the upcoming TOKEN2049 conference in Singapore.