In the heart of Dubai, TOKEN2049 has once again become the central event for the global crypto and blockchain industry. Held from April 30 to May 2, 2025, the venue brought together thousands of thought leaders and innovators from across the world for a few days of transformative dialogue.

Our team — Valentina Drofa, Alina Sysoeva and Maria Tunikova — was there to experience it firsthand. During the eventful three days, they dove deep into conversations shaping the future of Web3, met with old friends and new partners, and came away with a clearer view of where the industry is heading.

Wrapping up, here are some of the key insights and takeaways our team brought home from TOKEN2049 Dubai.

TradFi falls short

One of the most talked-about sessions at TOKEN2049 featured Zack Wickof and Eric Trump. During the panel, the leaders discussed the traditional financial system's drawbacks. Trump shared his own experience after 2019, explaining how fragile personal finances can be when your assets are a part of centralised institutions.

Wickof, in his turn, pointed to an important problem of financial inclusion: 1.4 billion people are still unbanked. He criticised traditional banks for focusing only on the elite, leaving out the vast majority of the world.

“It works really well for maybe the top 1% or the top 0.1%, but it doesn't work for the rest of the world,” he said. Eric Trump has also agreed, adding, “If you don’t have access to big institutions, congratulations, you have a phone. You can still invest.”

Adoption starts with mindset 

The same session continued with an important insight: governments have to start changing their mindset in the sake of a better, more digitalised future. Eric Trump praised the UAE for being a pioneer in supporting crypto, even before it was trendy: "We really need to take a page out of the Emirates' book... they have been an incredible example of how to lead with innovation while maintaining cultural values." 

“Bureaucracy kills countries,” he claimed further, directly pointing out Europe’s heavy bureaucracy as a barrier to progress in digital finance adoption.

He also mentioned that some U.S. states are beginning to understand the need for change. According to Eric Trump, adoption is not the sci-fi future, but already something that happens now. “The goal is not far off,” he adds. 

Defi and CeFi battle for the future

As DeFi vs. CeFi was one of the hot topics during TOKEN2049, experts also discussed it at the panel called “Is DeFi eating CeFi? Slowly, then all at once.”

Professionals gathered there highlighted that DeFi's key strength lies in its technological infrastructure, which enables unprecedented financial innovation. The ability to list and trade numerous tokens with significant volume sets it apart from traditional CeFi platforms. According to experts, DeFi trading will dominate crypto activities in the next decade.

Still, challenges remain: DeFi needs to match CeFi in performance and build user trust for mass adoption. It can also be terrifying for newcomers in terms of UX, so speakers underlined the need for real-world Web3 use cases to push DeFi into the mainstream.

Bitcoin is back in the spotlight

This time, Bitcoin was at the centre stage for many discussions. Nevertheless, it was considered not from the side of being a hype speculative asset, but as a serious hedge against the current economic uncertainty. Many speakers predicted that Bitcoin could hit six or even seven figures and become the new “digital gold.”

At the panel on crypto’s evolving opportunities, experts pointed out a key distinction: Bitcoin stands apart. It consistently shows many users, large transaction volumes, and perhaps most importantly, a clear, established role as "money" in the digital economy.

Ethereum’s “crisis”

As for now, Ethereum is at a crossroads: continue pushing innovation on Layer 1, or on Layer 2 scaling? 

From the discussion at TOKEN2049, the ETH Foundation shows strong interest in Layer 1 solutions. However, the path is still unclear, as the network struggles with high fees, slower updates, and too many scattered assets that confuse users. 

In light of these shortcomings, Solana has become a strong competitor to Ethereum by growing faster and smarter. Instead of just watching ETH’s price, the community should focus more on building real solutions and making progress that people can actually use. Otherwise, it risks losing users to more agile platforms like Solana.

What’s next?

It seems that DeFi will significantly reshape finance in the near future. And if we don’t integrate it now, the legacy system will keep lagging behind.

Valentina Drofa, CEO of Drofa Comms, believes: “We are clearly entering a new maturity phase in this industry, as blockchain is becoming an integral part of finance more and more. In this way, our mission is to help crypto projects capture this momentum and turn it into growth through communication that connects.”

TOKEN2049 Dubai reminded us just how fast this sphere moves and how important it is to always stay on alert. We left inspired and ready for what’s next.

Let’s keep the conversation going. If your company seeks PR support, please contact our global marketing team at marketing@drofa-ra.co.uk