Web3 investments can be mapped into 4 sectors: infrastructure, access tools, DeFi, and applications—each with fast-evolving, high-potential tracks.
Blockchain infrastructure and DeFi are the backbone of Web3, while wallets, exchanges, and NFT projects bring users closer to real-world use cases.
As Web3 matures and regulations form, today’s volatility offers early movers a rare window for outsized returns before the market stabilizes.
Explore the 4 key sectors of Web3—Infrastructure, Access, DeFi, and Applications—and discover where innovation and investment opportunities are rapidly emerging.
WEB3 INVESTMENT MAP: A STRATEGIC OVERVIEW
In traditional stock markets, investments are often organized by sectors—such as technology, finance, or healthcare. Within each sector, there are further subdivisions known as “tracks” or “themes,” which help investors clearly map out the investment landscape. For example, the tech sector may include tracks like software, AI, or semiconductors.
The same logic can be applied to the Web3 space. Although the ecosystem is still evolving, we can already break down the Web3 investment landscape into 4r key segments. This framework provides a structured way for investors to understand and analyze the industry:
1. Blockchain Infrastructure
This segment forms the foundational layer of the Web3 ecosystem. It includes Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchains, decentralized storage solutions (like IPFS), consensus mechanisms, and cross-chain technologies. Major players in this category include Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, and Berachain.
2. Interaction Tools & Protocols
Focused on how users access and engage with Web3, this layer includes crypto wallets (e.g., MetaMask), authentication protocols (like Decentralized Identifier (DID)), social protocols, and on-chain data indexing tools. These components serve as the bridge between Web2 and Web3 user experiences.
3. Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
The most mature and active sector in Web3, DeFi includes decentralized exchanges (DEXs), lending protocols, stablecoins, liquidity mining, and oracle services. Prominent projects such as Uniswap, Aave, MakerDAO, and Curve define this segment.
4. Web3 Applications & Beyond
This broad category encompasses a wide range of innovations built on Web3 infrastructure, including GameFi, NFTs, DAOs, Real World Assets (RWA), and SocialFi. Well-known examples include Magic Eden, Lens Protocol, and StepN, each representing a different facet of Web3 utility.
>>> More to read: What Is Web3: The Next Evolution of The Internet
WEB3 | THE FOUR CORE SECTORS & LEADING TRACKS
📌 Blockchain Infrastructure
The blockchain infrastructure segment forms the technological backbone of the Web3 ecosystem. It refers to the foundational layers—Layer 0, Layer 1, and Layer 2 blockchains—that support decentralized, secure environments for developers to build a wide range of Web3 applications.
✅ Key Tracks:
Layer 1 Blockchains – Independent networks with their own consensus mechanisms and settlement layers (e.g., Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche).
Layer 2 Solutions & Scaling – Protocols designed to improve the performance and efficiency of Layer 1 chains (e.g., Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync).
Layer 0 & Cross-Chain Bridges – Infrastructure that enables seamless communication and asset transfer between blockchains (e.g., Cosmos, Polkadot, Axelar).
>>> Learn more: What Is Web3: The Next Evolution of The Internet
📌 Accessing Tools & Protocols
These are the tools and interfaces that connect users from the Web2 world into the Web3 ecosystem. They lower the barrier to entry and make blockchain-based services more accessible to everyday users. This includes centralized exchanges for fiat-to-crypto onboarding, crypto wallets for asset storage, and blockchain explorers for viewing on-chain data.
✅ Key Tracks:
Wallets – Hot and cold wallets for managing crypto assets (e.g., MetaMask, Ledger, Phantom).
Centralized Exchanges (CEXs) – Platforms for crypto trading and fiat onboarding (e.g., Binance, Coinbase, OKX).
On-chain Data Tools & Explorers – Interfaces to access real-time blockchain data (e.g., Etherscan, Dune Analytics, DeBank).
>>> Learn more:
Crypto Cold Wallet vs. Hot Wallet: What’s the Difference
Choosing the Right Cryptocurrency Exchange: CEX vs DEX
4 Trusted Crypto Market Live Trackers for Staying on Trend
📌 Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
DeFi refers to financial applications built on top of blockchain technology that operate without intermediaries. These protocols allow users to access a full suite of financial services—trading, lending, staking, and more—while maintaining control of their assets.
✅ Key Tracks:
Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs) – Peer-to-peer token swaps and liquidity pools (e.g., Uniswap, Curve, Sushi).
Liquid Staking Derivatives (LSDs) – Staking solutions offering liquidity and yield (e.g., Lido, Rocket Pool).
Lending Protocols – Borrowing and lending without banks (e.g., Aave, Compound).
Derivatives – On-chain futures, options, and synthetic assets (e.g., dYdX, GMX).
Real World Assets (RWAs) – Tokenized bonds, real estate, or treasury assets on-chain (e.g., Centrifuge, Ondo Finance).
>>> Learn more:
What is Liquidity Mining in Crypto?
Real-world Assets (RWA): Bridging Traditional And Defi Markets
Crypto Lending Explained & How It Works
📌 Web3 Applications & Others
This category includes all non-financial applications powered by blockchain. These are the user-facing innovations of Web3, spanning decentralized communities, gaming, digital collectibles, social networks, and decentralized storage.
✅ Key Tracks:
NFTs – Unique digital collectibles and assets (e.g., Magic Eden, OpenSea).
DAOs – Community-governed, smart contract-driven organizations (e.g., MakerDAO, Aragon).
SocialFi – Decentralized social platforms (e.g., Lens Protocol, Farcaster).
GameFi – Blockchain-based gaming economies (e.g., Illuvium, StepN).
Decentralized Storage – Trustless file storage and retrieval (e.g., IPFS, Arweave, Filecoin).
>>> Learn more: What is Arweave (AR)? Decentralized Data Storage
CONCLUSION
This is precisely why now remains a golden window to enter the Web3 space. The high volatility and outsized returns driven by information asymmetry reflect a market that is still in its early, inefficient stage. While this comes with greater risks, it also presents a rare first-mover advantage for sharp investors and builders.
As infrastructure matures, regulations take shape, and institutional capital flows in, the real wave of Web3 innovation and value creation is just beginning. But over time, as information becomes more accessible and value more clearly defined, these early-stage rewards will gradually converge toward the average yields seen in traditional finance.
Right now is a critical inflection point—will you choose to be a passive user, or a proactive builder? Capturing the asymmetry while it still exists may very well be the most important opportunity of our generation in the era of financial and technological transformation.
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〈Breaking Down Web3: 4 Key Investment Segments〉這篇文章最早發佈於《CoinRank》。
