The Seven Steps of Blockchain Evolution

In 2009, ten thousand Bitcoins could only buy two pizzas. By 2021, one Bitcoin was worth $69,000, a 350 million times increase. Early investors got rich. Someone who invested $1,000 in 2011 became $87 million in 2021. But today, the focus is not just on Bitcoin, but on the entire blockchain ecosystem. Many people think blockchain equals Bitcoin, which is the biggest misconception.
Blockchain is a big tree, with Bitcoin just the first branch. The first branch: Bitcoin, created by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009 as a decentralized currency, not controlled by any country. But Bitcoin can only transfer value, not do other things. So, in 2015, the second branch: Ethereum with smart contracts.
Ethereum introduced smart contracts that execute automatically. Smart contracts are coded agreements that automatically transfer assets, with no interference. After Ethereum launched, over 4,000 projects and more than 20 million tokens emerged. With smart contracts, decentralized finance (DeFi) exploded.
No banks needed, just code, running automatically. How big can it get?
In 2020, DeFi's locked-in value skyrocketed from $1 billion to $100 billion, a 100-fold increase. But there was a problem: token prices fluctuated too much. Today, $20,000, tomorrow $30,000—making trading difficult. So, the fourth branch appeared:
Stablecoins. In 2020, stablecoins were introduced, pegged to fiat currencies like USDT, which always equals one dollar.
With stablecoins, DeFi truly took off. The fifth branch: NFTs, unique digital assets. In 2021, artist Bio’s NFT artwork sold for $69.35 million. The total NFT trading volume for the year reached $25 billion. The sixth branch: the Metaverse. In 2021, all land and items in the Metaverse were settled on blockchain. Decentralized games and virtual worlds run on blockchain.
The seventh branch: AI plus blockchain. By 2024, AI will need computing power and data, with blockchain making transactions faster and more secure. How big is the future of AI plus blockchain? By 2026, the Web3 market is expected to reach $10 trillion.
From Bitcoin to Ethereum, from DeFi to stablecoins, from NFTs to the Metaverse, and then AI plus blockchain—these seven branches make up Web3 ecosystem.
Web3 is not just technology; it’s an ecosystem, a new world of digital assets.
Remember three sentences:
First, Bitcoin is just the beginning; Web3 is the future.
Second, Web3 is a new world of digital assets, with a market size of $10 trillion by 2026.
Third, missed the 3.5 billion times increase of Bitcoin in 2009? Don’t miss Web3 in 2026.