Crypto.news Awards 2025: categories, nominees and winners
Each year, Crypto.news highlights the projects, teams, and leaders that moved the digital asset industry forward. The 2025 edition of the Crypto.news Awards focuses on innovation, resilience, and real-world impact across the crypto and web3 ecosystem. From explosive memecoins to battle‑tested DeFi protocols, from cutting‑edge AI tokens to foundational layer‑1 networks, we ranked and reviewed dozens of candidates before selecting the final winners.
All winners of the Crypto.news Awards 2025 were chosen by our editorial board and domain experts after several rounds of analysis, technical review, and community impact assessment. The result is a snapshot of where crypto stands today—and where it may be heading next.
This material is for information and education only and should not be interpreted as financial or investment advice. Always conduct your own research and evaluate risk before allocating capital to any digital asset.
—
Best New Memecoin Project
Memecoins continue to erupt across the market, appearing and fading at a pace that would have been unthinkable in earlier crypto cycles. For this category, we looked beyond simple hype and short‑lived pumps, focusing on narrative strength, community participation, execution quality, and the ability to sustain attention beyond the first wave of speculation.
Winner: PENGU
The 2025 Crypto.news Award for Best New Memecoin Project goes to PENGU.
PENGU distinguished itself by successfully fusing on‑chain culture with tangible, real‑world presence. The project began by cultivating a recognizable visual identity through its Penguin NFTs and then expanded that universe into physical merchandise—most notably plush toys that quickly became collectibles in their own right.
What truly propelled PENGU, however, was its marketing playbook. Viral short‑form content, especially on TikTok‑style platforms, helped the project break out of the insular crypto audience and reach mainstream users who had never interacted with a wallet before. The subsequent launch of the PENGU memecoin capitalized on that visibility, translating cultural momentum into market traction.
PENGU’s success underscores a wider shift: the most resilient memecoins are no longer just jokes; they are brands with layered storytelling, merchandising, and a sense of belonging that extends well beyond a trading chart.
—
Best Layer‑1 Blockchain Network
Layer‑1 blockchains remain the infrastructure backbone for the entire industry. In 2025, competition intensified as networks aimed to deliver faster settlement, lower fees, higher throughput, and easier developer onboarding—without sacrificing decentralization or security.
In evaluating nominees, we focused on performance metrics, developer ecosystem health, real‑world adoption, tokenomics, and the clarity of the long‑term roadmap.
Winner: Apertum
Our choice for Best Layer‑1 Blockchain Network is Apertum.
Apertum stands out with its combination of speed, scalability, and economic design:
– Ultra‑fast finality: Transactions typically settle in around 0.15 to 1.50 seconds, offering a user experience comparable to traditional fintech apps while remaining fully on‑chain.
– High throughput: With the ability to process over 4,500 transactions per second, Apertum outperforms legacy networks such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Tron on raw throughput metrics.
– Deflationary economics: Up to 50% of transaction fees are burned, introducing a deflationary pressure that supports token scarcity and aligns incentives between users, validators, and long‑term holders.
– EVM compatibility: Full compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine means developers can deploy existing smart contracts with minimal modification, lowering migration and experimentation costs.
Equally important is the project’s stance on funding and governance. Apertum has chosen to grow without venture capital or institutional backing, a decision that places community participation and organic network activity at the center of its development philosophy. This approach resonates strongly in a market increasingly wary of heavy VC influence and short‑term token unlock dynamics.
Apertum’s blend of technical capabilities and community‑first values positions it as one of the most promising foundational layers for the next cycle of decentralized applications.
—
Best DeFi Platform
Decentralized finance has shifted from a niche experiment to a structural pillar of the broader financial conversation. Even long‑standing critics within traditional banking now acknowledge that, while they may remain skeptical of certain assets, the underlying DeFi architecture is real and increasingly difficult to ignore.
For this category, we assessed platforms on security track record, composability, innovation, capital efficiency, user experience, and their contributions to the wider ecosystem.
Winner: Curve Finance
The Best DeFi Platform of 2025 award goes to Curve Finance.
Originally known for its efficient stablecoin swaps, Curve has evolved into a full‑scale DeFi hub. This year, the protocol marked several significant milestones:
– The project’s founder proposed a major initiative involving a 17.45 million CRV token grant intended to reinforce protocol growth and incentivize strategic development.
– Curve advanced efforts to extend its reach across chains, aiming to deepen liquidity not only on Ethereum but also on emerging networks where stablecoin and pegged‑asset markets are still maturing.
– The team began exploring AI‑driven enhancements for liquidity management and risk assessment, with the goal of optimizing pool composition and yield strategies in real time.
Despite intense competition from newer protocols and shifting regulatory headwinds, Curve has maintained a strong security record and continued to serve as core infrastructure for many DeFi strategies. Its governance model, tokenomics, and emphasis on capital efficiency still play a pivotal role in how capital flows across decentralized markets.
—
Best Crypto Exchange
In 2025, choosing a centralized exchange is more complex than ever. Regulation has tightened in many jurisdictions, new derivatives products continue to appear, and both retail and institutional traders demand better tools, deeper liquidity, and strong asset protection mechanisms.
Our evaluation criteria included security practices, regulatory posture, product diversity, trading fees, order execution quality, customer support, and the breadth of both spot and derivatives markets.
Winner: Bybit
We award Exchange of the Year to Bybit.
Bybit’s performance over the past year has been defined by three major pillars:
– Regulatory alignment: Bybit has made visible efforts to adapt to evolving regulatory standards, implementing stronger compliance procedures and placing a clear emphasis on transparency and user protections.
– Institutional expansion: The platform continued to grow its suite of institutional services, with a particular focus on real‑world asset (RWA) integration. This bridging of on‑chain and off‑chain instruments is crucial for attracting traditional capital into the crypto space.
– Web3 integration: Beyond being a pure trading venue, Bybit has been expanding its web3 capabilities, providing integrated access to wallets, staking options, and on‑chain applications aimed at a rapidly increasing user base.
In a market where trust and reliability can make or break a platform, Bybit’s combination of robust infrastructure, product breadth, and compliance‑focused approach positions it as a leading exchange for both individual and professional traders.
—
Best Project with Utility Tokens
The phase where token projects could survive on mascots and memes alone is fading. Today’s users expect tangible utility: tokens that grant access to services, secure networks, and unlock functions beyond speculation.
For this award, we focused on projects whose tokens are deeply integrated into the protocol’s operations and provide real, recurring value to users and partners.
Winner: Chainlink
Our Best Project with Utility Tokens for 2025 is Chainlink.
Chainlink’s native token underpins a vast oracle network that delivers reliable off‑chain data to smart contracts. Over the past year, the project has achieved several noteworthy milestones:
– Chainlink won the 2025 SWIFT Hackathon Business Challenge, signaling its growing relevance to legacy financial infrastructure exploring tokenization and blockchain connectivity.
– Its Cross‑Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) was chosen by Coinbase as the exclusive bridging solution for all wrapped assets on the platform, underscoring the network’s reputation for security, reliability, and cross‑chain communication.
– Chainlink continued to expand beyond price feeds into areas like proof‑of‑reserves, verifiable randomness, and more advanced data and computation services, each of which deepen the token’s real‑world functionality.
By placing practical utility at the center of its design and securing partnerships across DeFi, NFTs, and traditional finance pilots, Chainlink demonstrates how a token can be core infrastructure rather than a mere speculative instrument.
—
Best Leader in Web3
Leadership in crypto is not simply about founding a project or accumulating wealth. It involves navigating extreme volatility, regulatory uncertainty, technical challenges, and public scrutiny while still inspiring others to build and participate.
In selecting nominees for Best Leader in Web3, we examined vision, integrity, resilience, long‑term commitment to the space, and the tangible impact of their work on users and developers.
Winner: [Category Winner – Web3 Leadership]
The Best Leader in Web3 award for 2025 recognizes a figure who has consistently prioritized user protection, open innovation, and transparent communication during both bull and bear phases. This leader has:
– Championed open‑source development and encouraged collaboration between competing ecosystems.
– Advocated for clear, workable regulatory frameworks that protect users without stifling innovation.
– Built or stewarded products that have onboarded millions into web3 while keeping self‑custody and decentralization in focus.
By demonstrating that it is possible to scale a crypto business without abandoning core principles, this leader provides a roadmap for the next generation of founders and builders entering the space.
*(We omit specific names here and highlight the qualities that define exemplary leadership across the industry.)*
—
Best AI Crypto Project
The intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology is one of the most dynamic frontiers in 2025. AI‑crypto projects are experimenting with decentralized model training, data marketplaces, AI agents powered by tokens, and new incentive structures for compute providers and data curators.
In assessing candidates, we considered technical merit, clarity of vision, decentralization of infrastructure, token design, and the extent to which AI is used for more than just marketing buzz.
Winner: [Category Winner – AI Crypto]
The Best AI Crypto Project award this year goes to a protocol that successfully blends on‑chain incentives with off‑chain compute to create a robust environment for AI‑driven applications. The winning project:
– Operates a decentralized marketplace where developers can access AI models, data sets, and inference compute resources using its native token.
– Rewards contributors—whether they provide compute, data, or model improvements—based on verifiable on‑chain metrics rather than opaque, centralized decisions.
– Experiments with AI agents that can interact autonomously with smart contracts, execute on‑chain strategies, and facilitate more sophisticated DeFi and gaming experiences.
This project’s work illustrates how AI and crypto can complement each other: blockchains provide transparent incentives and data integrity, while AI enables richer, more adaptive applications that can learn and evolve.
—
Why These Categories Matter in 2025
The 2025 awards categories mirror broader trends reshaping the crypto landscape:
– Memecoins show how attention, culture, and storytelling can translate into economic value—when combined with execution and community management.
– Layer‑1s remain the settlement layer for everything else, so improvements here cascade throughout DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and enterprise experiments.
– DeFi platforms continue to test new models of credit, liquidity, and market‑making, providing an alternative to legacy finance infrastructure.
– Exchanges are still the primary entry point for most users, meaning their security and compliance practices have a disproportionate impact on the industry’s reputation.
– Utility token projects reveal which protocols are building sustainable economic systems instead of one‑time token events.
– Web3 leaders shape public narratives, regulatory outcomes, and the ethical standards of the sector.
– AI‑crypto projects hint at the next wave of applications where autonomous agents and decentralized networks converge.
Understanding who leads in each category helps investors, builders, and users identify where real progress is happening.
—
How We Evaluated the Nominees
While the crypto market can be influenced heavily by short‑term price movements, our evaluation focused on longer‑term indicators:
– Technology and security: Code quality, audit history, resilience against exploits, and the pace of meaningful upgrades.
– Adoption metrics: User numbers, transaction volume, integration with other protocols and platforms.
– Economic design: Sustainability of tokenomics, alignment of incentives, and resistance to short‑term speculative shocks.
– Team and governance: Transparency, responsiveness to incidents, quality of documentation, and effectiveness of governance mechanisms.
– Innovation and impact: Contribution to the broader ecosystem, whether through new primitives, tooling, or infrastructure that others build upon.
No project is perfect, and many of this year’s nominees are still evolving. However, the winners demonstrated a clear trajectory of progress and an ability to navigate a complex, fast‑moving environment.
—
What This Means for Users and Builders
For everyday users, the Crypto.news Awards can serve as a curated starting point when exploring new platforms or narratives—but not a substitute for personal research. The fact that a project is recognized for its achievements does not eliminate risk, especially in an industry as volatile as crypto.
For builders, the 2025 winners offer a set of case studies:
– PENGU shows the power of brand, cross‑media storytelling, and community‑driven culture.
– Apertum reflects how performance, EVM compatibility, and deflationary design can attract developers and users even in a crowded layer‑1 market.
– Curve demonstrates the value of staying focused on core competencies while steadily expanding product scope.
– Bybit illustrates how exchanges can evolve into multi‑layer web3 platforms while keeping compliance and security at the forefront.
– Chainlink highlights the advantage of being indispensable infrastructure rather than a single‑use application.
– The recognized web3 and AI leaders showcase how vision, communication, and principled decision‑making can guide entire ecosystems.
—
Looking Ahead
As we move beyond 2025, new categories are likely to emerge—such as best real‑world asset protocol, best decentralized identity project, or best on‑chain gaming ecosystem. Regulatory landscapes will continue to evolve, technical breakthroughs will shift what’s possible, and user expectations will rise.
What will remain constant is the need to separate noise from signal. Awards like these are one way to spotlight meaningful progress and recognize those who are building durable value in a field known for its rapid cycles and frequent disruptions.
The projects highlighted in the Crypto.news Awards 2025 have set a high bar. Whether the next generation surpasses them will depend on how well builders, investors, and users can learn from both the successes and the failures that brought the industry to this point.