The first year of Web3 transformation in 2026: value reconstruction from hype frenzy to pragmatism

The regulatory framework clearly demarcates the compliance boundary, the deep integration of AI and blockchain activates the technical potential, the standardization of RWA (real world asset) token opens up the virtual and real links, the collaborative construction of the global payment network broadens the application scenarios, and the four core driving forces work in the same direction to promote Web3 to bid farewell to the foam carnival, enter a new asymmetric growth cycle of "compliance based, practical king", and reconstruct the value map of the digital economy.

1、 Regulatory clarification: defining compliance boundaries and building a solid foundation for development

For a long time, regulatory ambiguity has been the core bottleneck restricting the standardized development of the Web3 industry, and the clarity of the global regulatory landscape in 2026 injects certainty into the industry's development. Countries have shifted from "passive response" to "active prevention and control", building a governance framework of "technology neutrality and precise supervision", which not only curbs illegal speculation, but also leaves enough space for compliance innovation. In China, the 2026 Central Political and Legal Work Conference explicitly proposed to "strengthen research on new technologies and strictly prevent the use of encryption technologies such as blockchain to evade supervision", with a core focus on arbitrage behavior rather than the technology itself. Through measures such as the legislation of the Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law and the establishment of a virtual asset crime investigation platform, the goal is to achieve "full process traceability" regulatory penetration, while providing policy support for compliant applications such as agricultural product traceability and cross-border trade settlement.

On a global scale, there is a significant trend of regulatory synergy and differentiation going hand in hand. Although the review of the CLARITY Act in the United States has been temporarily postponed, the direction of regulatory responsibility allocation has been clearly defined; The EU MiCA Act strengthens unified standards and regulates the issuance and trading of encrypted assets; Hong Kong has launched a full chain licensing framework to create an Asia Pacific virtual asset hub, forming a dual track model of "domestic pilot+Hong Kong hub" with the mainland. This pattern of "domestic compliance landing+global collaborative governance" has made compliance qualifications the core barrier of the industry, and the "regulatory compliance officer (BCO)" system is gradually popularized. Enterprises embed KYC and anti money laundering logic into their technical architecture, promoting the transformation of the industry from "wild growth" to "compliance embedded development".

2、 The integration of AI and Web3: activating technological potential and reconstructing economic models

In 2026, the deep integration of AI and Web3 will move from concept to implementation, becoming the core engine driving industry innovation and driving the digital economy to transition from "human centric" to "human-machine collaboration". Unlike simple technological stacking, the two form a golden combination of "productivity tools+value distribution layer" - AI endows Web3 with autonomous decision-making and efficient collaboration capabilities, while Web3 provides AI with the underlying support for trustworthy identity, value circulation, and rights confirmation, jointly giving rise to the rise of the "AI Agent Economy".

This fusion has given rise to multiple paradigm innovations: in the identity system, there is a shift from traditional KYC to KYC (Know Your Agent), giving AI agents verifiable economic identities that enable them to safely participate in on chain transactions and collaborations; In the field of scientific research, the "Agent Warping Agent" architecture enables AI to autonomously execute the entire lifecycle of scientific discoveries, transforming technological illusions into creativity. For example, Sakana AI's "AI Scientist" system has demonstrated the potential for mass production of scientific discoveries; In terms of economic models, payment and programmable IP models solve the problem of "hidden taxes" in open networks, ensuring that data producers receive reasonable profits in the zero click era and promoting the shift of the network economy from an attention advertising model to a value driven model. The collaboration between AI and Web3 is reshaping the boundaries of technological applications and value allocation rules, injecting new growth momentum into the industry.

3、 RWA standardization: bridging virtual and real links, empowering the real economy

RWA standardization is a key path for Web3 to move from virtual to real. By 2026, with the improvement of underlying rules and the large-scale implementation of pilot projects, RWA will officially move from niche exploration to mainstream applications, becoming a core bridge connecting traditional finance and the blockchain world. The four major requirements for RWA underlying assets in China are clear: authenticity and verifiability, dual track value evaluation, closed-loop supervision of funds, and transparent information disclosure, guiding technology to focus on national strategic areas such as green energy and supply chain finance; In the international market, tokenized treasury bond bonds and money market funds have become the actual settlement tools of institutional investors. Securitize and other platforms have achieved the tokenization of funds, equities and alternative assets, and even started the listing process, which confirms the commercial value of RWAs.

The standardization process significantly reduces the threshold for RWA implementation, solving pain points such as vague asset ownership, low transfer efficiency, and difficulties in cross platform mutual recognition. Chainlink and other oracle projects introduce real-time prices of US stocks and ETFs onto the chain, providing a trusted data source for RWA pricing; The improvement of compliance framework attracts traditional financial institutions to enter the market, promoting RWA to move from internal circulation within the crypto circle to cross industry applications. The deep integration of blockchain and the real economy has made Web3 no longer an isolated digital ecosystem, but a core tool that empowers traditional industries to upgrade and improve asset circulation efficiency, unleashing enormous commercial potential.