Crypto in 2025 was defined by two big trends—and only one of them is obvious
‘Tis the season for “biggest story of the year” articles and, when it comes to crypto, the choice in 2025 was not hard. The obvious pick is Wall Street’s full-on embrace of crypto, which saw banks and big companies tripping over each other to show they are down with stablecoins and tokenized assets. But look a little closer and you’ll see 2025 featured another major, but more subtle, trend: the ongoing expansion of DeFi and decentralized technology.
This has been reflected in the huge growth of DeFi platforms like Hyperliquid, and in Coinbase’s decision last week to add Jupiter, a leading aggregator for decentralized Solana trading, to its app. Such developments have helped decentralized exchanges nab a bigger share of…




