The Turning Point of the Blockchain Industry in 2025: New Growth Driven by Corporate Adoption and Regulatory Clarity
Editor
The blockchain industry in 2025 is at a clear turning point. The global blockchain market size is projected to grow by 40.3% from $67 billion in 2024 to $94 billion in 2025, reflecting the widespread adoption by enterprises beyond just the cryptocurrency craze. Particularly in the latter half of 2025, the establishment of comprehensive digital asset regulatory frameworks in the United States and the European Union is accelerating institutional investor participation. According to the latest survey by Deloitte, 76% of global companies plan to integrate blockchain technology into their core business processes by 2025, a 23 percentage point increase from the previous year.
In the Korean market, blockchain adoption is also accelerating. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the domestic blockchain market size grew by 54% from 1.2 trillion won in 2024 to 1.85 trillion won in 2025. Notably, Samsung SDS (018260) signed new contracts with 47 companies in the first half of 2025 through its blockchain platform ‘Nexledger,’ achieving a 180% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year. Naver (035420) also announced a 340% year-on-year increase in blockchain-related revenue in the third quarter of 2025 by enhancing blockchain utilization in the NFT and gaming industries through its subsidiary ‘Luniverse.’
A New Paradigm for Corporate Blockchain Adoption
The most notable change in the 2025 blockchain market is the ‘shift from public chains to enterprise blockchains.’ IBM’s (IBM) Hyperledger Fabric-based solutions are being utilized by over 500 companies worldwide in 2025, particularly excelling in supply chain transparency and data integrity. Walmart recorded 12 million product histories on the blockchain in the first half of 2025 through a food tracking system built in partnership with IBM, reducing food safety incident response times from 7 days to 2.2 seconds.
Oracle (ORCL) is also securing new growth drivers through its blockchain cloud services in 2025. The Oracle Blockchain Platform is being used by 280 companies worldwide as of the third quarter of 2025, with high adoption rates in the pharmaceutical industry for counterfeit prevention and clinical trial data management. Pfizer tracked the supply chain of 2.5 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the first half of 2025 using Oracle Blockchain, achieving a 99.7% reduction in counterfeit distribution.
Kakao (035720) is focusing on building a diverse service ecosystem based on the Klaytn blockchain. In 2025, the average daily transaction volume on the Klaytn network surpassed 4.5 million, significantly exceeding Ethereum’s average daily transaction volume of 1.2 million. Particularly, the Klaytn-based payment system linked to Kakao Pay’s digital wallet service surpassed 12 trillion won in cumulative transaction volume in 2025, capturing 67% of the domestic blockchain payment market.
Maturation of the Cryptocurrency Market and Expansion of Institutional Participation
The cryptocurrency market in 2025 is experiencing unprecedented institutional capital inflows. According to Coinbase’s (COIN) third-quarter 2025 earnings report, institutional investor trading volume accounted for 73% of total trading volume, a 28 percentage point increase from the same period in 2024. Following the approval of the Bitcoin spot ETF, institutional funds began to flow in earnest, resulting in Coinbase’s third-quarter 2025 revenue increasing by 156% year-on-year to $3.2 billion. MicroStrategy (MSTR) also purchased an additional 15,000 bitcoins in 2025, increasing its total holdings to 174,530, representing an asset value of approximately $18 billion.
Regulatory clarity is also contributing to market maturation. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced comprehensive digital asset regulatory guidelines in June 2025, clarifying the criteria for determining the security nature of cryptocurrencies. The European Union also provided an integrated regulatory framework through the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) implemented in January 2025. This regulatory clarity has lowered the barriers to institutional investor participation, with the global cryptocurrency market capitalization reaching an all-time high of $3.2 trillion in 2025.
In Korea, virtual asset regulations are gradually being refined. The Financial Services Commission implemented the ‘Virtual Asset User Protection Act’ in July 2025, strengthening exchange licensing systems and investor protection measures. Consequently, four major exchanges—Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, and Korbit—obtained official licenses, and the average daily trading volume of virtual assets in Korea increased by 45% year-on-year to 8.5 trillion won in 2025. The participation of institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals has increased, with large transactions over 100 million won accounting for 34% of total trading volume.
The DeFi (Decentralized Finance) ecosystem also entered a new growth phase in 2025. As of December 2025, the DeFi market size, based on Total Value Locked (TVL), reached $158 billion, a 78% increase from $89 billion at the end of 2024. Uniswap surpassed $2 trillion in cumulative trading volume in 2025, and Aave’s deposited asset size reached $23 billion. Rapid growth is particularly evident in the Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization sector, with MakerDAO’s real asset-backed loan size increasing by 420% year-on-year to $34 billion in 2025.
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) development is also accelerating. China expanded the commercial scope of the Digital Yuan (DCEP) to 28 major cities nationwide in 2025, with cumulative transaction volume surpassing 980 billion yuan (approximately $138 billion). The European Central Bank (ECB) launched a digital euro pilot program in October 2025, with pilot operations in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. The Bank of Korea is also conducting a second-phase pilot test of the digital won from the second half of 2025, with participation from major commercial banks and fintech companies.
The NFT market is reaching a new turning point in 2025. Utility NFTs, which offer practical applications beyond simple digital art, are gaining attention, particularly in gaming, metaverse, and membership sectors. The global NFT market size is estimated at $23 billion in 2025, with utility NFTs accounting for 62%. Starbucks’ Odyssey program secured 4.3 million members in 2025, significantly enhancing customer loyalty through an NFT-based reward system.
While the spread of blockchain technology is creating new business models and investment opportunities, it also presents several challenges. Energy consumption remains a significant issue, with the Bitcoin network’s annual power consumption in 2025 estimated at approximately 150 TWh, comparable to Argentina’s total power consumption. In response, Ethereum transitioned from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS) in 2022, reducing energy consumption by 99.95%, and other blockchain projects are actively adopting eco-friendly consensus mechanisms.
Security and hacking risks also remain a continuous concern. As of the first half of 2025, losses from DeFi protocol hacks amounted to $820 million, a 23% decrease from the same period last year but still substantial. In response, oracle service providers like Chainlink are focusing on enhancing security, and various security audit tools and insurance products are being developed. Additionally, research on quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms is actively underway to prepare for the potential threat of quantum computing to existing cryptographic technologies.
As of the end of 2025, the blockchain industry has reached a significant milestone in terms of technological maturity and market acceptance. The convergence of regulatory clarity, institutional capital inflows, and increased practical use cases is establishing a sustainable growth foundation. Gartner forecasts that the global blockchain market will grow to $139 billion by 2026, with high growth rates expected in supply chain management, digital identity verification, and carbon credit trading sectors. These projections indicate that blockchain technology is no longer in the experimental phase but has become a core infrastructure of the digital economy.
This information is not investment advice, and investment decisions should be made at one’s own discretion and responsibility. Market conditions can change rapidly, so please check the latest information.
