IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Blockchain, Crypto, NFT, and Web3 2024 Predictions

This IDC study provides IDC's top 10 predictions for blockchain, crypto, NFT, and Web3."Decentralized technologies, such as blockchain, distributed ledger technology, NFTs, cryptocurrency, and Web3, will continue to have a major impact across every industry and will combine with other technologies like GenAI as well," notes Phillip Siltschanu, research director of Global Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and Web3 Strategies at IDC.

IDC FutureScape Figure

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers
• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers
  • Prediction 1: By 2026, 50% of Financial Institutions Will Rely on Blockchain/DLT to Verify Account and Identify Veracity in Regard to AML and/or QIB, Accredited Investor, and so Forth
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Business Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 2: By 2026, Insurers' Investments in Smart Contracts and Cryptocurrencies Will Propel Crypto-Custody and Exchange Insurance to Dominate 70% of the Global Web3 Insurance Market
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Business Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 3: By 2029, 100% of Newly Issued Securities in the United States (Equities, Debt Instruments, Derivatives, Etc.) Will Be Issued as a Digital Asset (Most Likely a Variant of NFTs)
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Business Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 4: By 2027, 20% of the Top 1000 Global Enterprise Database Will Adopt a Decentralized Design for Global Resiliency
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 5: By 2028, 90% of De Novo Data Being Utilized in Data Sets for GenAI Will Be Watermarked by Blockchain/DLT and/or Will Be Tracked Via NFTs
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 6: By 2026, Web3-Based Lending Volume Will Reach $400 Billion and Result in Net Loan Losses of Less than 0.1%
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 7: By 2025, 5% of Countries Will Have Issued Sovereign Debt Instruments Using Blockchain Technology
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 8: By 2029, Wholesale CBDCs Will Modernize Existing Wholesale Payment Systems to Boost Automation, Transparency, Sustainability, and Cross-Border Transactions, Particularly Within/Between Europe and Asia
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 9: By 2026, 15% of Countries Will Have Implemented a Verifiable Decentralized Credentialing System Using Non-Transferable Tokens Like Soulbound Tokens as the Primary Credentialing System for Citizens
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Guidance
  • Prediction 10: By 2028, 25% of Consumer Data Gathered for Marketing Will Be Tied to a Decentralized Identity Token, Reducing Marketing and Advertising Costs While Improving Personalization
    • Associated Drivers
    • IT Impact
    • Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• AI Everywhere - Generative AI Takes the Spotlight
• The Drive to Automate - Maximizing Efficiency and New Opportunities
• Geopolitical Turbulence - Sovereignty Under Emerging Fragmentation
• Cybersecurity and Risk - Building Resilience Against Multiplying Threats
• The Digital Business Imperative - Competitiveness and Outcomes
• Shifting Tech Regulatory Landscape - Navigating Risk and Opportunity
• Operationalization of ESG - Measuring and Implementing Sustainability

Learn More

• Related Research