Animoca Brands' Yat Siu Believes 2025 Could Be Crypto's Breakthrough Year

Yat Siu, co-founder of Animoca Brands, sees 2025 as a turning point for cryptocurrency, comparing it to how the internet reshaped businesses in the 1990s. Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based Web3 developer, has built an impressive portfolio of projects worth over $45 billion across its tokens. Siu has experienced the ups and downs of the crypto world firsthand, including the tough "crypto winter" of 2022-23, when token values crashed, and the industry’s future felt uncertain.

Cryptocurrency's early reputation was built on speculation and quick profits, which drove growth but hurt its credibility and limited mainstream appeal. Many saw crypto as unstable and risky due to market volatility. 

Siu emphasizes the need to move toward sustainability by showcasing blockchain’s potential for innovation, trust, and ownership. Demonstrating long-term value and building inclusive, utility-focused ecosystems are essential for crypto's next phase. Now, with the market bouncing back, institutional interest rising, and a pro-crypto USA, Siu believes crypto is finally ready to go mainstream and transform industries around the globe.

Gaming and Crypto Casinos Are Key to Mainstream Adoption

Gaming has emerged as one of the most promising avenues for introducing cryptocurrency to broader audiences. The gaming industry is already familiar with digital assets, such as in-game skins and upgrades, making the integration of blockchain-powered ownership a natural progression. Blockchain gaming takes this concept further by allowing players to truly own their digital assets, enabling them to trade, sell, or use items across multiple games and platforms.

Developers are focusing on creating games that prioritize engaging gameplay while seamlessly incorporating blockchain benefits. In addition to traditional gaming, crypto casinos are becoming a significant player in this space. Crypto casinos use blockchain to bring transparency, trust, and speed to online gambling, addressing long-standing concerns about fairness. 

These platforms allow players to wager cryptocurrencies on games like poker, blackjack, and slots, with provably fair systems ensuring confidence in the outcomes. Furthermore, crypto casinos often incorporate tokens and NFTs to enhance user experiences. Players can earn unique rewards, such as exclusive in-game items or VIP access, creating a new level of engagement.

iGaming expert Liliana Costache explains that many btc casino sites and other online gambling platforms accepting a variety of cryptocurrencies provide unique advantages for players. These include extensive game libraries with thousands of options, fast payouts, enhanced privacy and security through blockchain technology, and exclusive crypto bonuses like higher welcome offers, free spins, cashback, and matched deposits. Bonus limits also tend to be significantly higher compared to traditional casinos, often reaching over 1 Bitcoin or over $50,000.

Stablecoins Are Acting as The Backbone of Global Commerce

Stablecoins are increasingly becoming essential tools in global commerce. Their ability to facilitate fast, low-cost transactions makes them particularly valuable in regions like Asia, where supply chain finance relies on efficiency. Companies in industries such as fashion have already begun using stablecoins to pay suppliers, avoiding the fees and delays associated with traditional wire transfers.

Unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, stablecoins are pegged to fiat currencies, offering the stability required for practical use in business transactions. Siu sees stablecoins as a critical component of crypto’s mainstream adoption, enabling companies to overcome operational challenges and streamline cross-border payments. Siu warns that businesses that fail to adopt crypto payment systems, may struggle to remain competitive as the global economy continues to evolve.

Memecoins and NFTs are Building Digital Ecosystems

Memecoins and NFTs exemplify the cultural and creative potential of cryptocurrency. Once dismissed as speculative novelties, memecoins are now building broader ecosystems, launching their own blockchains, and fostering engaged communities. Similarly, NFTs have evolved from digital collectibles into key components of larger projects that blend culture, identity, and utility.

These developments showcase how crypto is shifting from speculative tools to platforms for creativity and community building. For example, some NFT projects now integrate with gaming ecosystems, allowing players to use their digital assets within games or trade them on secondary markets. By focusing on applications and experiences, these projects are creating ecosystems that provide lasting value.

For sustained success, memecoins and NFTs must create ecosystems that combine pop culture, innovation, and economic opportunities. By doing so, they can play a significant role in driving crypto toward mainstream acceptance.

Crypto Mirrors the Internet’s Evolution

Siu draws a compelling comparison between the current state of cryptocurrency and the early days of the internet. In the 1990s, many industries relied on slow, manual processes that were both time-consuming and expensive. For example, Hong Kong’s garment industry physically shipped design samples overseas for approval, incurring high costs and long delays. The introduction of broadband internet revolutionized these workflows, enabling companies to share high-resolution designs digitally, saving time and money.

Similarly, blockchain technology has the potential to streamline inefficiencies in today’s industries. By replacing outdated systems with faster, more cost-effective solutions, crypto can bring transformative changes to commerce, supply chains, and finance. Siu believes this parallel highlights how crypto, much like the internet, will evolve from a niche technology to a foundational tool for global business.

Building Trust in Blockchain Networks

While blockchain technology provides transparency, measuring reputation remains a challenge. Animoca’s Moca ID aims to address this by offering a decentralized reputation system that unifies user identification across its portfolio.

A reputation network could enable new opportunities, such as unsecured crypto loans, by establishing trust between parties without requiring collateral. This shift would mark a significant departure from the current over-collateralized lending models, opening the door to more inclusive financial services. Building and maintaining reputation will be critical for fostering trust and ensuring the long-term success of blockchain ecosystems.

A New Wave of Capitalism That is Inclusive and Participatory

Siu envisions Web3 as an opportunity to redefine capitalism by making it more inclusive and participatory. Traditional systems often leave users as passive consumers, but Web3 allows individuals to become stakeholders and co-owners. This participatory model addresses feelings of inequality and promotes financial literacy, empowering users to take control of their economic futures.

Web3’s ability to democratize ownership and create new economic opportunities is central to its transformative potential. By decentralizing power and distributing value more fairly, Web3 creates a space where users can actively contribute to and benefit from the systems they engage with. Blockchain technology supports this shift by emphasizing transparency, trust, and collaboration, encouraging long-term value creation over short-term profit chasing. Siu believes this new wave of capitalism can help preserve the core ideals of innovation and opportunity while addressing systemic flaws. By offering more equitable access to resources and decision-making, Web3 holds the promise of reshaping economies and empowering communities to thrive in a more sustainable and balanced way.

Conclusion

Cryptocurrency's future lies not only in generating profits but also in its ability to foster trust, inclusivity, and innovation. By building ecosystems that prioritize long-term value and meaningful participation, the crypto industry has the potential to redefine global commerce, entertainment, and finance. It can establish itself as a cornerstone of the modern economy by addressing inefficiencies, promoting transparency, and empowering individuals to take an active role in shaping their financial futures. As adoption grows and new opportunities emerge, crypto’s transformative potential could create a more equitable and sustainable global economic landscape, driving progress across industries and communities worldwide.