Crypto’s real-world adoption in 2025 and what builders should expect in 2026

2025 was a year of major shifts for crypto and not just in headlines, but in what actually matters for builders: fundamentals, real-world use cases and sustainable revenue.

In this episode of Byte-Sized Insight, we are joined by Leonard Dorlöchter, co-founder of peaq, to break down what quietly worked in 2025 and what the industry should be paying attention to in 2026. Leonard explains how DePIN began gaining real traction, why “fundamentals started mattering more,” and how the industry may be maturing while also losing sight of Web3’s original decentralization ethos. 

The conversation also explores the rise of AI agents and robotics, new standards for machine-to-machine coordination, and what it could look like when devices, machines and autonomous agents begin transacting onchain as part of a global machine economy.

(1:58) Leonard introduces peaq and the “machine economy”
(4:03) 2025 shift: fundamentals and real revenue start to matter
(5:24) Web3 maturity vs. losing the decentralization ethos
(7:33) Blockchain as neutral global infrastructure and governance layer
(10:45) 2025 breakthroughs: physical AI and new standards for agents
(12:18) Why machine coordination is moving onchain
(13:31) Breaking down “machine economy” onchain vs offchain
(14:01) Example: tokenized machines, peer-to-peer energy, shared ownership
(17:51) Trust, reputation and efficiency in an open-machine economy
(20:23) Real-world adoption: robot in production in Hong Kong, onchain rewards
(22:06) 2026 outlook: robotics protocols, onchain goods/services, sovereign agents
(25:12) Policy gap: regulation progress but not fully aligned with Web3 ethos
(28:42) Why peaq partnered with VARA, machine economy free zone sandbox
(30:12) Builder advice for 2026: validate value, traction and real revenue

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

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