The Binance Research Industry Map (Dec 2025) provides a structured overview of the evolving crypto ecosystem, highlighting major verticals and emerging innovations.
It begins with Infrastructure, where projects focus on blockchain scalability, interoperability, data usability, and decentralized services. Key areas include Layer 2 rollups (zkEVM and optimistic solutions), Rollup-as-a-Service platforms, data availability networks like Celestia and Eigen, RPC providers such as Infura and Ankr, indexing protocols like The Graph, and decentralized storage and computing networks (Filecoin, Render, Akash). Security and fairness solutions address smart contract risks and mitigate MEV exploitation, while privacy projects like Nym and Hopr enhance user protection.
In DeFi, innovation spans synthetic assets, options, structured products, lending, liquid staking, restaking, decentralized exchanges, prediction markets, derivatives, and insurance. Protocols like Aave, Lido, Uniswap, and Synthetix exemplify the sector’s diversity, while newer entrants experiment with yield optimization and risk management.
The NFT sector is categorized into marketplaces, financialization, and services. Platforms like Blur, OpenSea, and Magic Eden dominate trading, while lending, fractionalization, and analytics tools expand NFT utility.
Gaming integrates metaverse projects (Decentraland, Sandbox), play-to-earn models (Axie Infinity, Hamster Kombat), studios, launchpads, and guilds, supported by analytics and NFT marketplaces.
Finally, Privacy and x402 (agentic payments) highlight rapid growth in zero-knowledge frameworks, private oracles, decentralized messaging, mixers, VPNs, and AI-driven payment protocols.
Overall, the map emphasizes crypto’s diversification into scalable infrastructure, financial innovation, digital ownership, immersive gaming, and privacy-first solutions.
Thanks to Asher Lin Jiayong. For the research!
