a16z Crypto: The next phase of the crypto industry's development will transcend the scope of new blockchains.

According to a report by The Block, a16z Crypto stated in a new outlook report released on Thursday that the next phase of industry development this year will no longer primarily depend on the emergence of new blockchains, but rather on how the technology reshapes markets, computing infrastructure, and the media landscape. The industry will undergo transformation as prediction markets expand, cryptographic proofs are integrated into enterprise systems, and "real money" in the financial sector becomes a new cornerstone of trust. Driven by advancements in cryptography, artificial intelligence, and market design, crypto-native tools are increasingly penetrating numerous industries beyond decentralized finance, with blockchain playing a role as underlying infrastructure rather than as a standalone application scenario or end-user target. a16z Crypto stated that with the convergence of prediction markets with cryptography and artificial intelligence, prediction markets will be larger, broader, and more complex by 2026; the next phase of growth will not only involve more contracts but also better ways to resolve truth-determination issues in disputed outcomes. Furthermore, 2026 could be a turning point for the expansion of cryptographic proofs into non-blockchain industries, as advancements in zero-knowledge virtual machine technology are significantly reducing the cost of generating proofs, making verifiable computing feasible for cloud CPU workloads and ultimately, consumer devices. The company’s third focus is the rise of “staking media”; in this model, creators, analysts and commentators use cryptographic tools to make publicly verifiable commitments to align their incentives with their claims; tokenized assets, programmable lock-up periods and on-chain history enable media participants to demonstrate their credibility by taking on capital or reputational risk, which can be audited by the audience.