A Global Snapshot of Web3 Innovation
By Paul Hsu, Founder and CEO and Rizza Torres, Marketing Manager, Decasonic
Web3 is transforming industries globally, with tokenization driving both financial and non-financial innovations. To showcase this, we’re launching a five-part blog series, drawing on insights from investors and founders. Each post will spotlight how Web3 is evolving across key regions—Asia, United States, Europe, and the Middle East—and which use cases are proving the most durable.
Through this series, our focus will be on the challenges and opportunities around long-term token viability. This series will emphasize, among the many aspects,durability through transparent, code-aligned governance, verifiable digital ownership, and strong community networks.
The message to founders is clear: adaptability of execution, durability of protocol design, and a compelling narrative around a long-term vision are critical factors to success. As the blockchain ecosystems mature, founders must focus on both the immediate potential of tokenized assets, open protocols, and permissioned/permissionless blockchains, and on how these technologies can provide lasting solutions in diverse markets.
Globally, over 617 million people owned cryptocurrency as of mid-2024—a testament to blockchain’s growing reach. For founders like you, this is significant. It means your products and protocols could soon be reaching new customers, breaking down geographic and financial barriers, unlocking new customer bases and societal impact.
At Decasonic, we focus on founders who think beyond the immediate noise—those who can execute relentlessly on ideas that will outlast the speculative capital that often floods frontier new technologies. We invest in durable use cases—applications that will not just generate economic value but also create societal impact.
As outlined in our 2024 Outlook, we see the following potential in today’s key technologies and how these durable use cases will transform society:
Blockchain will play a pivotal role in how people pay, borrow, and lend.
Web3 tokens will shape how people shop and engage with brands.
The metaverse will transform how people spend time with others.
AI will upgrade how people live and work intelligently.
Durable Token Use Cases
As Web3 accelerates toward global mainstream adoption, token use cases are expanding and diversifying rapidly. At the highest level, we categorize these use cases into financial and non-financial use cases, each of which spans a variety of sectors like fintech, real-world asset tokenization, AI, gaming, mixed reality, DePIN, and commerce.
Here’s a preview of some of the emerging opportunities for founders.
Financial Use Cases
1. Financial Inclusion
Blockchain enables fractional ownership of assets like real estate, art, and stocks, making high-value investments accessible to a broader audience. This use case is particularly impactful in emerging markets like Southeast Asia and Latin America, where financial systems are often less inclusive. Founders who develop solutions to bridge the financial gap can help democratize access to wealth.
2. Decentralized Lending and Borrowing
Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending eliminates intermediaries, disrupting traditional banking. This model is especially powerful in regions with limited banking infrastructure like Southeast Asia. Founders can seize this opportunity by building blockchain-based DeFi platforms that provide affordable and accessible credit.
3. Fintech on Crypto Rails
Fintech is rapidly migrating to crypto rails, improving cross-border payments and creating new opportunities for decentralized lending. Stablecoins are emerging as central players in international remittances, particularly in North America, where blockchain infrastructure is supporting faster, lower-cost transactions. Founders in fintech should explore how blockchain can further speed up payments, lending, and investment processes.
4. International Money Transfer
Traditionally, sending money across borders has been slow and costly. Blockchain now enables instant, low-cost, and transparent transfers, especially in remittance corridors like those between the US and Latin America. Founders can capitalize on this by building fintech solutions that leverage blockchain’s decentralized infrastructure to improve global payments.
5. Stablecoins
Stablecoins, pegged to assets like the US dollar or gold, are reducing volatility in cross-border transactions. They provide a reliable way for users to store wealth and transfer value digitally, especially in remittance markets and regions with unstable currencies. Founders can build platforms around stablecoins to facilitate low-cost, instant transactions across borders.
While financial token use cases are transforming access to credit and investment, non-financial applications are unlocking new opportunities in gaming, asset ownership, and identity.
Non-Financial Use Cases
1. Crypto and AI
The convergence of crypto and AI is creating new possibilities in decentralized applications. AI-powered blockchain solutions are enabling personalized experiences, predictive analytics, and smart contracts. This intersection is opening up opportunities for founders to develop intelligent systems that optimize Web3 ecosystems. For more, explore our Web3-AI Market Map.
2. Immersive Gaming, Mixed Reality, and the Metaverse
A recent Geography of Cryptocurrency Report highlighted how Asia leads in gaming token adoption. The gaming sector is being revolutionized by NFTs, immersive environments, and generative AI. Players are now experiencing true digital ownership, trading in-game assets across platforms, and investing in virtual land in the metaverse. As Web3 and AI merge with gaming, founders have the opportunity to create new dimensions of player engagement, especially in markets like South Korea and Japan, where gaming culture is at the forefront of adoption.
3. Tokenization of Real-World Assets
Tokenizing physical assets—such as luxury goods and real estate—democratizes ownership, making traditionally exclusive markets more accessible. Europe is leading the way, with blockchain enabling fractional ownership of items like watches and art. Founders can tap into this high-growth market, creating platforms that offer new investment opportunities to everyday consumers.
4. Tokenized Status and SocialFi
Tokenized identities are giving individuals greater control over their digital footprints, an especially relevant trend in regions like Europe and the Middle East, where data privacy is a top priority. SocialFi is merging social media with financial incentives, allowing founders to build platforms that offer users control over their interactions and financial rewards. Learn more from our SocialFi Market Map.
5. Casual Gaming
Mobile gaming is booming, particularly in Southeast Asia, India, and Latin America, where smartphone adoption is growing. Casual games are integrating Web3 elements like NFTs and tokenized rewards, allowing players to earn and trade assets. Founders in these regions can create blockchain-powered mobile games, fostering new engagement models.
Ecosystem Development and Durability
It’s important to note that not all use cases will evolve equally across geographies. Innovation is unevenly spread. Regional infrastructure, regulations, and market conditions will shape which innovations succeed. For instance, DeFi continues to flourish in regions with progressive regulations, while gaming tokens and NFTs are gaining faster traction in Asia.
The Electric Capital Developer Report confirms this, showing a strong increase in developer activity around DeFi protocols in regions like North America and Europe. The Middle East presents a strong market for tokenized real estate and decentralized identity solutions, aligning with the region’s focus on privacy and security. Founders who concentrate on these trends can lead in markets where blockchain infrastructure and developer communities are expanding.
We continue to monitor adoption trends around aspects of token use cases that bring people together, in both digital and physical worlds. It’s essential to recognize that local conditions—such as infrastructure, regulations, and market readiness—play a significant role in determining which token use cases thrive in each region. The durable token use cases drive forth network effects that enable early innovators to bring along the global mainstream audiences.
A Global Snapshot
Each region is contributing uniquely to the global blockchain narrative. Let’s take a brief look at how token use cases are evolving across key geographies:
Asia: Rapid adoption of gaming tokens and NFTs in countries like South Korea and Japan, driven by their strong entertainment sectors.
United States: A hub for decentralized finance, with a focus on Bitcoin, stablecoins, and international money transfers.
Europe: Dominating fractional ownership in luxury goods and leveraging blockchain for supply chain transparency in sectors like fashion and high-end products.
Middle East: Emphasizing privacy-focused solutions and tokenized real estate, aligned with the region’s growing interest in data sovereignty.
From Vision to Execution: The Founder's Journey
As we continue to explore these themes in this blog series, it’s clear that blockchain adoption is accelerating at a compound annual growth rate of 68%. The use cases highlighted here represent just a fraction of what’s possible. Now is the time for founders to identify long-term applications that not only drive financial returns but also deliver meaningful societal impact.
The journey of a founder is one of resilience and adaptation. We are proud to partner with founders who are building the future. We’re here to help you turn your vision into reality, offering the support, strategic insight, and execution excellence needed to succeed in an ever-changing market.
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