Now Is The Best Time To Build In Crypto

Crypto Industry Overview - The crypto industry has entered a golden age of building, with infrastructure and tools like stablecoins and chains in place, enabling entrepreneurs to create impactful businesses and consumer experiences [1][4] - Fintech is evolving from 1.0 (online payments) to 2.0 (friendlier consumer experiences) to 3.0, which aims to rewrite the financial system using crypto as a programmable software platform [1] - The industry is exploring different paths in layer 1 and layer 2 blockchains, converging learnings to build infrastructure for the next wave of adoption [2] Regulatory Environment - Regulatory uncertainty has hindered crypto innovation, with startups spending more on legal fees than engineering [3] - Increased regulatory clarity, such as with stablecoins and the Genius Act, is lowering the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs and fostering innovation [4] Stablecoins and Tokenization - Stablecoins enable programmable money to enter the existing financial system, providing access to dollars for individuals and businesses worldwide [4] - There are almost $200 billion of stablecoins in the market [4] - Tokenization involves moving asset classes from legacy systems to programmable environments, creating new opportunities for value creation [9] - New asset classes, such as content and creators, are emerging in the on-chain world, enabling creators to monetize their work [10][11][12] Building and Investment Opportunities - Opportunities exist in building interfaces for interacting with AMMs (Automated Market Makers) or exchanges, enabling seamless asset swaps [2] - US-centric builders can focus on rewriting legacy financial systems into programmable smart contracts, as demonstrated by the Shopify commerce payments protocol [6][7][8] - Founders should identify scaled network effects around intermediaries and use the open crypto platform to mediate transactions more efficiently [9] - Y Combinator is actively seeking to fund crypto startups with strong technical teams focused on solving real-world problems [35][36] AI and Crypto Intersection - Crypto can address AI's challenges by providing verification and authentication for AI-generated content [24] - Crypto serves as a native platform for AI agents to transact, enabling them to send and receive money through smart contracts [25][26]