On January 22, during the “New Era of Finance” thematic discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, industry participants widely agreed that crypto trading platforms and stablecoins have already undergone large-scale adoption and market validation. This milestone marks a transition in which crypto technology is no longer confined to experimental use cases or marginal innovation, but is instead entering a phase where it can be absorbed and utilized by the mainstream financial system.
Building on this foundation, future development priorities were summarized in three key directions: state-level asset tokenization, cryptocurrencies serving as “invisible” underlying payment rails, and AI agents capable of autonomous trading with crypto assets as their native settlement medium.
Structural Transformation of the Banking System
The discussion also noted that the risks faced by traditional banks increasingly stem from the structural design of existing systems. As digital financial tools become more prevalent, the number of physical bank branches is expected to continue declining over the coming years, alongside a reduced reliance on offline services. Transformations initially triggered by online banking are now being further accelerated by crypto technologies and electronic identity verification.
In this process, banks are not losing their relevance; rather, their roles and business models are being redefined, with a clear shift toward more digitalized and platform-oriented forms.
Distinguishing Speculative Assets from Long-Term Value
Regarding the highly visible phenomenon of meme tokens, the prevailing view is that their risk profile closely resembles that of earlier NFT and metaverse narratives, exhibiting strong speculative characteristics. While a small number of tokens with cultural or symbolic significance may persist over the long term, the majority are unlikely to generate sustainable value.
This assessment reflects a broader market trend toward distinguishing between assets driven primarily by short-term sentiment and crypto applications that deliver enduring financial utility.
Practical Challenges in Global Regulation
On the regulatory front, significant differences in national crypto policies remain, making the establishment of a unified global regulatory authority unrealistic in the short term. Nevertheless, clearer, innovation-friendly, and enforceable regulatory frameworks are widely regarded as essential prerequisites for reducing compliance costs and enabling cross-border adoption.
As asset tokenization and automated trading scenarios continue to expand, ongoing and auditable analysis of on-chain fund flows and transaction behavior is increasingly becoming a foundational capability linking innovation with regulation. Risk identification and monitoring systems such as Trustformer KYT are thus positioned less as tools for short-term market participation, and more as providers of long-term, stable compliance support for the industry.