The 2026 Crypto Industry Shift: From Efficiency Finance to the AI Trader Era

2026-01-11 15:40:10

【Crypto World】What is the next direction of the crypto market? Some investment institutions have provided an answer.

According to the latest industry outlook, by 2026, the crypto industry is entering a new phase—shifting from hype-driven to efficiency-driven. The most core changes are reflected in several key areas.

First is the deep financialization of RWA (Real World Assets). It is no longer just simple asset mapping but involves building a complete financial derivatives system. Secondly, the status of stablecoins will be further consolidated, gradually evolving into the infrastructure layer for global settlement, similar to the role of SWIFT.

More interestingly, the rise of AI Agents. These AI-driven trading entities will become the main participants in the market, which will fundamentally change the shape of the trading ecosystem. At the same time, DeFi protocols are no longer isolated financial products but are being developed into flexible financial APIs, achieving true interoperability and modularity.

The final trend is crucial—large-scale institutional capital influx will give rise to two urgent needs. Privacy protection and code-level compliance, two needs that once seemed contradictory, will be unified under new technological frameworks. This means that crypto finance can meet institutional risk control requirements while also protecting individual privacy rights.

RWA6,32%

DEFI-7,1%

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DegenWhisperer

· 14h ago

Old topic again, efficiency-driven? I think it's still the story of retail investors getting cut. After the arrival of AI Agents, retail investors are probably worse off. Can RWA really break through the circle? It still feels like institutions are just self-indulging. Stablecoins as SWIFT... overthinking it. Dollar hegemony isn't that easy to shake. However, the API approach in DeFi is indeed the right direction; interoperability is the way out. In this wave of changes, the most profitable are probably those building the infrastructure. It feels like another new round of "narrative cycles" is about to begin... Wait, if AI Agents really become popular, wouldn't trading and betting decrease? Then what's the point of speculating?

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PretendingToReadDocs

· 01-12 17:47

AI Agent taking over the trading ecosystem? So retail investors still have a way out? --- Calling stablecoins the SWIFT of crypto is a bit bold, can it really be achieved? --- RWA financialization sounds good, but I'm worried it's just another wave of rug pulls. --- From hype to efficiency, it sounds ideal, but will this transition take another five years? --- DeFi modularity + AI Agent... it feels like the ecosystem is about to be completely rebuilt. --- 2026 is still far away. These predictions are the same as last year, all just hype. --- If AI automated trading becomes mainstream, who will bear the technical risks? --- The most reliable part is the stablecoin infrastructure; everyone else is just talking big. --- Deep financialization of RWA, isn't that just traditional finance wrapped into blockchain? What's new about it? --- Interoperability and modularity, I've heard about them for three years, but few have actually achieved it.

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DefiPlaybook

· 01-11 16:09

According to data, to what extent can the current AI Agent narrative be driven? It is worth noting that there are no more than 5 RWA projects that can truly be implemented, and most are still in the PPT stage.

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GasFeeTherapist

· 01-11 16:07

AI Agent taking over trading? Then retail investors might as well forget about playing the game. --- Stablecoins as SWIFT? Don't be funny, this isn't that simple. --- RWA financialization sounds impressive, but I don't know when it will actually be implemented. --- If robots really take over in 2026, should we, the little guys, consider changing careers? Haha. --- DeFi API integration is pretty good, but only if we live long enough to see that day. --- Sounds grand, but it still feels like a bunch of concept hype. --- AI Agent is coming, and retail investors' survival space is getting smaller. --- I've heard the stablecoin story too many times; every time it's just loud thunder. --- Efficiency-driven? We're still hyping it up; how can it be efficiency? --- RWA does have imagination, but can it really succeed? I'm not so sure.

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CantAffordPancake

· 01-11 15:55

AI Agent is really about to take off, it feels closer and closer to us. Now it's even harder for the little guys to get in, robots to harvest? Stablecoins as SWIFT, sounds pretty powerful... but what does the central bank think? RWA deep financialization sounds nice, but isn't it just another way to harvest the little guys? The era of AI traders is here, we need to hop on quickly. Wait, do retail investors still have a way out... Both RWA and AI, I feel like I've heard these terms before, but in the end, nothing has really changed. Stablecoins are definitely worth paying attention to; it might really be the next big trend.

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