From cointelegraph by Zoltan Vardai

Super advanced artificial intelligence crypto trading bots and a potential United States-listed Solana exchange-traded fund (ETF) may boost crypto’s fortunes in 2025, according to crypto industry observers. 

Meanwhile, hackers, fueled by similarly advanced AI tech, may see another banner year of thefts and exploits. 

From the best to the worst and finishing with the most inspiring development, here are the three most significant crypto predictions for 2025.

US-listed Solana ETF open for business

More companies are vying for a Solana ETF, including asset management giants VanEck, Grayscale, 21Shares, Bitwise and Canary Capital

As the leading monolithic blockchain network, Solana’s $91 billion market capitalization is four times smaller than Ether’s $403 billion, meaning it needs to capture less investment for more upside momentum. 

Crypto investors see an approved Solana SOL$189.10ETF as a potential price catalyst, and some say it may not even be priced in. 

“Since it is still very uncertain, an ETF approval in the US would have a positive price impact on Solana since the probability is low and therefore not yet priced in,” said Alejo Pinto, former IBM blockchain growth lead and founder of Solana layer-2 network Lumio.

The spot Solana ETFs are currently under review by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with a deadline for a preliminary decision by the end of January 2025, 

The deadline for Grayscale’s Solana ETF application is Jan. 23, while the four other applicants expect a preliminary decision by Jan. 25, 45 days after the SEC formally accepted the ETF application for review in November.

Alex Svanevik, the CEO of crypto intelligence platform Nansen, has tipped a US-listed Solana ETF to go live in 2025 as part of nine predictions that could make the next year “the mother of all bull markets.” He wrote in a Nov. 27 X post:

“SOL ETF. And it does better than the ETH ETF did at launch.”

Brazil’s first Solana ETF was approved on Aug. 7, setting a precedent for other global jurisdictions.

Solana climbed back above $230 on Dec. 11, fueled by growing trader anticipation for a SOL ETF, along with Bitwise setting a $750 price target for Solana, which was trading above $189 as of 7:30 am UTC.

AI-powered crypto scams and irresistible hack targets

In a significant hit for mainstream crypto acceptance, crypto hackers stole $2.3 billion worth of value in 2024, marking a 40% increase compared to 2023, according to a report shared by onchain security firm Cyvers.

The rising crypto valuations and growing amount of digital payments could fuel a renewed wave of cyber theft in 2025.

Investors should be particularly aware of authorized push payment (APP) fraud and so-called “pig butchering schemes,” according to Deddy Lavid, co-founder and CEO of Cyvers.

“APP fraud deceives victims into authorizing payments, while pig butchering uses prolonged manipulation to drain assets through fake crypto investments,” said Lavid. 

More funds were lost to fraud in 2024 than security hacks, highlighting their growing financial impact. Continued developments in artificial intelligence are also making scams more sophisticated, added Lavid:

“Combating them will require advanced detection systems, stricter compliance, and consumer education to safeguard an increasingly valuable and vulnerable digital ecosystem.”

The industry must remain vigilant, as North Korean hackers may begin targeting larger objectives, such as the United States spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to Michael Pearl, vice president of GTM strategy at onchain security company Cyvers.

AI crypto trading could surpass humans

The field of AI and AI-powered crypto projects received significant investor attention in 2024, emerging as a key focus for venture capital firms, despite the proliferation of AI-powered scams in the crypto industry.

AI-based cryptocurrency trading could be the next significant market trend, and continued AI agent development could result in AI bots surpassing human investors, according to Jawad Ashraf, co-founder and CEO of Vanar blockchain.

“KOLs, traders, and influencers will find themselves outpaced by AI agents capable of precision, 24/7 presence and even being more engaging than their real-life counterparts,” said Ashraf. 

“AI agents will provide market insights, execute trades based on real-time data analysis, or influence market sentiment with an efficiency human counterparts can’t match.”

Related: Ether ETFs surpass $2.5B as ETH positions for $3.5k breakout

The symbiotic relationship of AI and blockchain is set to reshape the crypto ecosystem. Ashraf said this “evolution is going to challenge our notions of trust, control and creativity, creating a less human-centric crypto economy.” “As always, Web3 is on the bleeding edge of tech,” Ashraf added.

AI-related cryptocurrencies are worth a cumulative $42 billion market capitalization as of Dec. 25, CoinGecko data shows.

Crypto trading bots have already been used to analyze and replicate human trading behavior, offering users 24/7 market access despite carrying significant trading and security risks, as illustrated by a hack on Telegram bot Banana Gun, which cost users nearly $2 million in lost funds.

Still, an AI agent is a more advanced form of software than the crypto trading bots, as they can adapt and evolve over time, learning from new market dynamics.

Other honorable mentions

While the above trends only scratch the surface of all the exciting crypto predictions, they illustrate the rapidly changing dynamics of the cryptocurrency industry.

Donald Trump’s upcoming presidential inauguration is also seen as a significant growth catalyst for the crypto space, and it is associated with expectations of more innovation-friendly crypto regulation.

Industry participants also expect to see more institutional and governmental crypto adoption, driven by the excitement around a potential Bitcoin reserve act in the US, which would deploy BTC as a financial savings technology.

Lastly, investors are hoping to see more regulatory clarity and crypto-based ETFs after Jan. 20, when future SEC chair Paul Atkins will replace Gary Gensler, reigniting hopes that the regulator may drop its legal case against Ripple Labs.