Supporting companies' Web 3.0 strategies using NFTs - Interview with Kirifuda Hideyuki Akagawa

What is your outlook for the Web3.0 sector beyond 2025?

Hideyuki Akagawa(hereinafter, Akagawa): In 2024, the Web3.0 industry faced uncertainties with the cancellation of large-scale projects and a sharp decline in the NFT market. However, as we enter 2025, we are witnessing more domestic businesses entering the market and increased budget allocations, surpassing last year's expectations and signaling steady growth for the industry as a whole.

In particular, stablecoins, which were legally defined as electronic payment instruments under the 2023 revised Payment Services Act, and crypto asset-based payment services are expected to increase. Notable examples include Hokuriku Bank’s deposit-backed stablecoin "Tochika," which aims to significantly reduce merchant payment fees, and Orient Corporation’s USDC-backed payment card, which recently gained media attention. These positive developments continue to emerge at a rapid pace.

In the NFT sector, we anticipate a shift towards more concrete use cases, building on previous examples. Potential applications include NFT-based tour and accommodation rights, tokenization of accounts receivable, and issuance of digital assets backed by carbon credits. We expect to see further specialized proof-of-concept experiments in these areas.

Additionally, in the marketing space, there will be continued efforts to integrate token economies into fandom-based activities and explore methodologies that utilize NFTs as behavioral records to better understand user preferences and segment audiences more effectively.