1. Perp DEXes – Decentralized Derivatives Exchanges

  • Hyperliquid remains the leading name in decentralized derivatives trading, but new names like Lighter and Ostium Labs cannot be overlooked.

  • These platforms are attracting attention due to 'exotic' trading markets and novel incentive mechanisms. This is a sector worth continuing to watch as competition begins to heat up.

2. Decentralized AI Training & MCP

  • The recent fundraising event by Nous Research, combined with the influx from Bittensor's subnets, indicates that the decentralized AI sector is showing signs of a resurgence.

  • Additionally, new implementations of the MCP (Multi-Chain Processing) protocol for AI agents are opening a new chapter for the AI wave in Web3.

3. Liquidity Coordination

  • Projects like Turtle Clubhouse and Royco Protocol are pioneering the creation of more efficient liquidity incentive markets, making rewards for liquidity providers (LPs) more direct and transparent.

  • Although less mentioned, the TVL of these projects is still steadily increasing – indicating a significantly underestimated potential.

4. Mindshare Trading

  • The concept of 'attention trading' is starting to take shape and attract interest, especially after the emergence of Noise.

  • The separation between cash flow and mindshare opens a new playing field for speculators, where skills are no longer solely centered around price charts.

5. User Interfaces (Frontends) will rise

  • In the future, frontends could become a layer that captures more value than backends or smart contracts. A seamless, simple, and unified user experience is key to attracting new users.

  • DefiDot and Infinex are two platforms leading this trend and continuously attracting a large amount of traffic.

6. Modularity – Modular architecture for rollups

  • As the demand for blobs in rollups increases, opportunities are opening up for projects like Celestia and Initia – cost-effective data availability providers.

  • This is a crucial piece in sustainably scaling Ethereum.

7. Blockchain Infrastructure – A quiet but essential sector

  • The development of high-performance blockchains is driving the demand for new infrastructure.

  • DoubleZero is building an optimized global network for modern blockchains, while Caldera focuses on developing an abstraction layer for rollups.

  • Although less 'glamorous,' infrastructure is a space with real demand, the only question is: when will it start generating real revenue?

8. DeFi – The comeback of decentralized finance

  • DeFi is entering a renaissance era. New projects are not just replicating old models but are also significantly improving efficiency.

  • 0xFluid aims to become the most efficient trading and lending platform.

  • Euler Finance – a project that once faced major issues – has returned with a modular lending system.

  • Morpho Labs is developing permissionless infrastructure for DeFi curators, and Pendle Finance is preparing to launch version 2. Although not a 'hot trend,' DeFi remains one of the core and most important applications of crypto.