Well-known economist and macro investor Alex Krรผger has sparked debate across the crypto community after declaring that cryptocurrencies, as an asset class, have largely failed. Despite the rapid adoption of blockchain technology across multiple industries, he argues that the vast majority of crypto tokens have failed to deliver on the promises made to investors over the past several years.
His comments come at a time when stablecoins, tokenized assets, prediction markets, and AI-powered blockchain applications continue to gain traction. However, Krรผger believes that the growing success of blockchain technology does not automatically translate into success for the broader cryptocurrency market.
โMost Tokens Have Failed to Create Real Valueโ
According to Krรผger, the cryptocurrency industry has evolved through several market cycles into an environment where a large percentage of projects have failed to generate lasting value for token holders.
He argues that many founders took advantage of limited regulation and weak safeguards to launch tokens primarily designed to attract investor capital. The result, he says, is a market flooded with assets that lack meaningful utility, sustainable revenue streams, or viable long-term business models.
Krรผger stated that a significant portion of crypto assets today are either effectively worthless or have demonstrated very poor long-term value appreciation.
The Memecoin Boom Did More Harm Than Good
A major part of his criticism was directed at the memecoin frenzy that has attracted millions of investors over recent years.
According to Krรผger, the memecoin boom diverted enormous amounts of capital away from projects with genuine utility while encouraging highly speculative behavior throughout the market. He argues that this trend often benefited insiders and project creators at the expense of ordinary investors.
He also highlighted the continued wave of attacks targeting decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. Security breaches and investor losses, he believes, have further damaged confidence in the cryptocurrency ecosystem as a legitimate investment sector.
Blockchain Is Thriving, Legacy Crypto Is Not
Despite his criticism, Krรผger is far from declaring the entire industry dead.
On the contrary, he acknowledges that blockchain adoption continues to accelerate. He points to the growing use of stablecoins, increasing efforts by traditional financial institutions to tokenize assets, the expansion of prediction markets, and deeper involvement from Wall Street in digital assets.
However, he stresses the importance of distinguishing between blockchain infrastructure and cryptocurrency tokens themselves.
In his view, the infrastructure layer is where real value is being created, while many older crypto tokens remain heavily dependent on speculation and market narratives.
The Winners of the Next Cycle May Be Revenue-Generating Projects
Krรผger believes the future belongs to projects that can offer investors more than promises of future growth.
He sees particular potential in platforms tied to real revenue streams, active user bases, and mechanisms that return value directly to token holders.
As an example, he highlighted Hyperliquid, which he views as operating more like a genuine business than a purely speculative asset. He specifically praised its buyback model, which returns a portion of generated value to investors.
According to Krรผger, projects with these characteristics could represent the future direction of the crypto industry.
Privacy and Artificial Intelligence Stand Out
The economist also believes that certain segments of the crypto market continue to have strong long-term potential.
One of them is privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. Krรผger argues that demand for private and censorship-resistant stores of value remains real and could continue growing.
He pointed to Zcash as an example, noting that the asset has recently shown notable strength even during periods when Bitcoin was weakening. This may indicate a gradual shift of capital toward privacy-oriented assets.
The second category he considers promising is artificial intelligence.
However, he remains selective. Many AI-related tokens, he says, are benefiting primarily from the popularity of the AI narrative without offering meaningful products or sustainable business models. By contrast, he views projects that combine blockchain technology with functioning AI services, growing user adoption, and real revenue generation much more favorably.
A New Generation of Crypto Is Emerging
Krรผgerโs outlook is therefore more nuanced than the headline alone might suggest.
He is not predicting the end of blockchain technology or digital assets. Instead, he argues that the era of blindly investing in thousands of tokens with little practical utility is approaching its limits.
In his view, a new generation of crypto projects is emergingโone centered around stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization, prediction markets, artificial intelligence, and privacy-focused technologies.
These sectors, he believes, could define the next chapter of digital asset innovation.
His final conclusion captures the paradox he sees in todayโs market: the old model of cryptocurrencies may have failed, but the new applications of blockchain technology could ultimately prove stronger than ever.
At the time of his comments, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at approximately $2.28 trillion.
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The information and opinions presented in this article are for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. Nothing on this page constitutes a recommendation to buy or sell any assets. Cryptocurrency investments are inherently risky and may result in financial loss. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions.