OKX and Blockworks Research: Blockchain Applications Will Reshape the Future of Global Industries

• In the next 25 years, blockchain will bring positive disruption to the finance, technology, brand and consumer goods, and sports entertainment industries.
• The continuous development of blockchain application scenarios will become an important disruptive force in the future, including cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, real asset tokenization, decentralized applications, and self-custody wallets. The integration of artificial intelligence and cryptographic technology will also bring new impacts.
• Research findings include insights and interviews from senior leaders of the following institutions: Visa, Standard Chartered Bank, Polygon, Google, Aptos, Manchester City Football Club, McLaren Racing, and Franklin Templeton.

San Jose, California, May 29, 2025 ------ Global leading cryptocurrency exchange and on-chain technology company OKX, in collaboration with crypto research platform Blockworks Research, today jointly released a report titled "The Future of Blockchain Applications: Reshaping Global Industries," which explores how blockchain applications will reshape the finance, technology, brand and consumer goods, and sports entertainment industries over the next 25 years.

The report points out that the continuous development of blockchain application scenarios will play a disruptive role in these key business areas, including cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, real asset tokenization, decentralized applications, and self-custody wallets. Research indicates that by 2030, the total asset management scale of real-world asset tokenization could reach $600 billion; by 2027, 10% of global GDP is expected to be tokenized and stored on the blockchain.

The report also notes that under the strong incentives provided by cryptographic technology for AI training and deployment, AI and cryptographic technology will accelerate their integration, leading to more efficient coding and troubleshooting capabilities.

According to Rich Widmann, Google Cloud Web3 Strategy Director, "Blockchain is an innovation pressure cooker… We envision a smart world 20 years from now, where digital transactions can be seamlessly conducted, and daily tasks and interactions will become more efficient without relying on traditional devices. This reflects our broader vision—integrating AI with blockchain to achieve more efficient business and protocol coding."

The research findings are based on interviews with industry experts, analyses from OKX and Blockworks Research, desktop research, and existing industry surveys. Respondents come from numerous leading companies, including Visa, Standard Chartered Bank, Polygon, Google, Aptos, Manchester City Football Club, McLaren Racing, and Franklin Templeton.

Haider Rafique, Managing Partner and Chief Marketing Officer of OKX, stated, "At OKX, we envision a future where on-chain technology reshapes almost every industry. This report showcases a glimpse of blockchain's transformative potential, and we believe that blockchain will fundamentally redefine business models and create a new economic paradigm. We look forward to witnessing and driving how blockchain technology will fundamentally change the way we live, work, and conduct business globally."

Jason Yanowitz, Co-founder of Blockworks, said, "Collaborating with OKX to write this report is a rare opportunity for us to explore the profound impact of blockchain technology, and we are excited to share how this technology is poised to reshape the global economy. We are honored to partner with OKX to present these insights, especially as we observe blockchain changing global business practices, transaction models, and value creation."

Key Industry Insights

Finance ------ Blockchain applications are reshaping the way value is created and financial products are developed

• Institutional investors will continue to allocate funds to digital assets and related products. The further development of trading products and custody services will make it easier for investors to allocate assets and increase exposure in the coming years.
• Stablecoins are expected to reshape the global payment landscape. Large enterprises like Visa are investing funds and resources, and the market capitalization and usage scale of mainstream stablecoins are also continuously growing.
• Crypto-native companies have resolved legacy issues in self-custody and payments within traditional systems, enabling the next generation of retail and commercial users to more easily access Web3 through their own digital wallets. Future financial service companies will create their own dApps based on self-custody wallets.
• Mainstream financial service companies are moving towards a "tokenized" future. More than two-thirds of respondents from the financial services industry indicated that they are developing relevant capabilities to support the issuance and servicing of tokenized assets.

Technology ------ Infrastructure is transitioning to on-chain

• Blockchain is changing the way software, networks, and data systems are built and used.
• Blockchain will influence the future direction of AI. Startups and developers are exploring how to achieve decentralized AI system development through blockchain.
• Blockchain and privacy protection will co-evolve in the online world, enabling users to trade anonymously while maintaining control over personal data.
• The integration of blockchain, cloud computing, and AI is occurring and is expected to grow into a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity.

Brand and Consumer Goods ------ Blockchain is enhancing brand experiences

• Mainstream consumer goods and luxury brands are actively exploring the potential of blockchain. Large retailers like Walmart and luxury brands like LVMH are integrating blockchain technology to fundamentally change supply chain transparency and production processes.
• Consumer goods and luxury brands are experimenting with various blockchain application scenarios to reshape business models, including digital product passports, luxury NFTs, smart contract-based business operations, and blockchain-based product lifecycle tracking.
• The consumer and luxury goods industries are merging physical and digital experiences, further moving towards an on-chain future; at the same time, digital experiences can help different consumer enterprises enhance user loyalty.

Sports Entertainment ------ Blockchain is changing events and fan experiences

• Sports organizations and teams are leveraging blockchain technology to enhance fan interaction experiences, such as launching digital collectibles, team-specific tokens, and customized events. Blockchain applications are expected to further expand into new areas like the metaverse and sports betting.
• Cryptographic technology will provide creators with a higher share of revenue and greater autonomy, contrasting sharply with the current situation where creators in industries like film and music must share profits with platforms.
• Blockchain will reshape the gaming ecosystem and provide economic incentives for players. Interoperability and "play-to-earn" models are expected to bring more sustainable funding mechanisms to gamers.