TBW - 5 crypto projects to watch in 2025
Infinex
Infinex is a hybrid application that functions as both a self-custody wallet and a centralised Web3 interface, with the aim of aggregating the best onchain applications in one place. The ambition is to rival the user experience of centralised exchange platforms, while offering users the ability to retain full ownership of their funds and navigate securely between different blockchains and their applications. To simplify use, Infinex uses passkey technology, so that users do not have to manage their private keys, and offers several account recovery solutions. In the background, the project also integrates string abstraction and interoperability solutions. Having raised more than $60 million in a community round, Infinex plans to expand its functionality throughout 2025.
Babylon
The year 2024 saw the rise of restaking, widely popularised by EigenLayer. Babylon aims to bring a similar concept, but on the Bitcoin blockchain, becoming the first solution to generate returns on native Bitcoins. Given Bitcoin's very limited expressivity, implementing a staking solution represents a real technical feat. However, this innovation also comes with a number of risks, linked to both the technical complexity and the security inherent in such mechanisms on a historically conservative blockchain. If Babylon succeeds in overcoming these challenges, it could mark an important milestone in the evolution of the Bitcoin ecosystem (watch the interview with its Chief Economist Protocol).
Citrea
Citrea is Bitcoin's first true layer 2 incorporating smart contracts. Unlike many projects that falsely claim to be layer 2 (read our comparison report), Citrea guarantees its users the ability to withdraw their funds directly from the Bitcoin blockchain, unilaterally. The project builds on BitVM's advances to verify zero-knowledge proofs directly on Bitcoin. This innovation creates a secure bridge between Bitcoin and Citrea, making it possible to use bitcoins in DeFi applications while minimising counterparty risk. This approach eliminates the need for synthetic bitcoins issued by centralised entities, thereby enhancing decentralisation and security. In parallel, Starknet is working on a similar solution, but this requires the implementation of the OP_CAT opcode on Bitcoin, implying a hard fork of the blockchain.
MegaETH
MegaETH is a layer 2 of Ethereum designed to offer performance comparable to Web2, while retaining the fundamental properties of Web3. To achieve this objective, the project is based on an innovative architecture, made possible by its layer 2 nature: specialised nodes, each dedicated to a single task. In traditional networks, the need to reach consensus between nodes spread around the world generates a certain amount of latency. MegaETH circumvents this limitation by optimising the performance of a single sequencer with a dedicated execution client, eliminating the need for consensus to reduce latency to 10 ms. This approach builds on Ethereum's inherent security, guaranteeing optimum reliability. This breakthrough paves the way for the development of applications requiring very high transaction rates and near-zero latency, greatly expanding the scope of possibilities for Web3 solutions (read our survey on L2 Ethereum).
Echo & Legion
Echo and Legion are two platforms that aim to democratise the funding of crypto projects before they launch. In 2024, many token launches were criticised for disappointing performance, with prices plummeting and limited profit margins for investors. Echo and Legion seek to remedy this problem by offering retail investors the opportunity to access the same conditions as private investors, thereby increasing their chances of achieving significant returns on investment. This approach also benefits the projects themselves, which can form a community genuinely invested in their long-term success. However, the two platforms differ in the way they operate: Echo segments its opportunities into a number of investment groups, while Legion adopts a 'merit' driven model, taking into account on-chain activity, engagement on social networks and development skills.
