2025: The "DeFAI Golden Year" - Five Top Blue-Chip Projects You Need to Know
Original Title: Top 5 Blue-Chip Tokens in DeFAI You Need to Know
Original Author: Die crv, Castle Cap Member
Original Translation: zhouzhou, BlockBeats
Editor's Note: DeFAI is rapidly growing and attracting a lot of investor attention. By selecting DeFAI blue-chip tokens such as ANON, MODE, Griffain, Virtuals, and Cod3x, investors can gain broad market exposure and seize their growth potential. Compared to traditional DeFi, DeFAI has achieved a broader application through technical abstraction, driving the adoption of blockchain technology. 2025 is expected to be the golden year for DeFAI, anticipating the biggest bull market in the history of the crypto industry.
Below is the original content (reorganized for better readability):
DeFAI is growing at an unstoppable pace, setting new all-time highs in market value almost every day.

Initially, only 6 tokens were listed in CoinGecko's DeFAI category, but now it has expanded to over 50. This rapid market expansion highlights the astonishing pace of DeFAI development, but it has also presented significant challenges for DeFAI investors.
If you believe in DeFAI but have limited funds and cannot diversify investment across all these tokens, how can you gain broad exposure in this field and leverage its growth potential?

0/ Investing in DeFAI Is Challenging
Many people ask me which DeFAI tokens they should invest in, and I completely understand their query.
As I mentioned earlier, just two weeks ago, there were only 6 tokens listed in CoinGecko's DeFAI category: GRIFFAIN, ANON, NEUR, GRIFT, KWANT, and HOTKEY.
Back then, investing in DeFAI was much simpler...

0.5/ DeFAI Blue Chip Token
I've found a way to gain exposure to the DeFAI market as a whole without investing capital into every new token, and that is to identify and invest in what we can define as: DeFAI Blue Chip Token projects.
These are projects that I believe play a key role in the DeFAI ecosystem, and if the DeFAI overall trend continues to grow, they are highly likely to outperform other tokens.
This is not investment advice — I'm just sharing my current approach in the DeFAI market.
Without further ado, let me introduce these projects and tokens.
1/ Hey Anon | HeyAnonai
The first Blue Chip DeFAI token on my list is definitely ANON. danielesesta, the founder, was the first to coin the term "DeFAI" and has played a key role in shaping this space. Many DeFAI projects today are replicating the HeyAnonai approach.
Given its first-mover advantage, I am confident this project is one of the best choices to capture the growth potential of DeFAI. However, their DeFAI chatbot has not been released yet, but rumors have it that it will be live by the end of January, and most importantly, it will be completely free.

2/ Mode | modenetwork
Mode is an Ethereum L2 network focused on AI and DeFAI. It is essentially a chain designed for smart agents, chatbots, and all current trends in the DeFAI space.
This L2 network already has over 360,000 users, with a TVL of $500 million. However, what is not yet widely recognized is the MODE token.

Currently valued at $970 million, MODE is still severely undervalued and has yet to catch up with the overall DeFAI trend.
Here are two reasons why I believe MODE is a blue-chip DeFAI token:
1. MODE stakers can receive airdrops from projects launched on this L2, meaning stakers will passively come into contact with various DeFAI projects in the future.
2. It is the only blockchain dedicated to DeFAI, which is very important from a narrative perspective. Historically, chain-specific tokens have performed well during bull markets.

3/ Griffain - griffaindotcom
Griffain is a DeFAI chatbot with some cool features, including the ability to shop for you at different online stores! Currently, this project is ranked second by market cap in the DeFAI category, just behind AIXBT.

Its product is currently in invite-only mode, but it already seems to be ahead of the competition. Within Griffain, there are different smart agents, each focusing on specific tasks. For example, there are agents dedicated to airdrops, portfolio yield optimization, portfolio residue management, and other tasks...
Leaders in any industry often manage to maintain their dominance, and I expect Griffain to continue to remain in the top five DeFAI tokens in this cycle. Of course, its high market cap implies a lower opportunity for 100x returns. However, in my view, this token still has tremendous growth potential.

4/ Virtuals - virtuals io
Smart agents will be around for a long time, and virtuals io is the leader in the agent creation market. The Virtuals protocol allows users to create agents without any coding experience, and some of the most famous agents created using this protocol include aixbt agent, Toshi base, and luna virtuals.
Furthermore, virtuals io is a good project to bet on in DeFAI, as VIRTUAL token holders will receive airdrops of upcoming agents on the platform. This means that investors only need to hold one token to access a broader range of smart agent offerings.
While smart agents are not limited to DeFAI and their impact has expanded to gaming, social media, and other emerging fields, they play a crucial role in driving the DeFAI ecosystem. Therefore, platforms like Virtuals are not only participants but also the foundation of the continued growth of this sector.

LogX Enters the DeFAI Space
Before we delve into the latest DeFAI blue-chip tokens, I want to mention an additional project that is doing what I believe every "traditional" DeFi dApp should be doing now.
LogX trade is a DeFi super app that offers Meme and Exotic Perps trading, binary options trading, and will soon introduce pre-market functionality. Recently, they launched an advanced AI agent called Loomix, which has been deployed on over 15 EVM, BTC L2, and other platforms.
Through Loomix, their in-app DeFAI chat assistant, users can execute opening trades, swap tokens, and request yield strategies by simply entering prompts akin to using ChatGPT. With the backing of Coinbase and a super app that covers over 15 chains and offers such a diverse array of products, they have entered a new stage under the DeFAI momentum.
I anticipate a trend of traditional DeFi dApps integrating recent DeFAI tech to erupt soon, and they are at the forefront of this competition.

5/ Cod3x | Cod3xOrg
Last but equally important, I want to mention Cod3x, primarily because of the team behind it. This is a riskier pick as they have not yet released a token.
Cod3x is a dApp that allows users to create agents without any programming skills, and currently, one of their top agents is BigTonyXBT. This agent stands out as it has been automatically trading on Base with its own wallet for nearly two months, unlike other agents.
I believe Cod3xOrg is currently one of the most technologically advanced projects in DeFAI, focusing 100% on building rather than creating hype compared to other projects. You can potentially gain exposure through airdropped NFTs by participating in their testnet (they have just launched their first public test).

I truly believe that DeFAI will lead us into the biggest bull market in cryptocurrency history. DeFi has formally achieved democratization in the financial sector for the first time, and DeFAI will ultimately bring this technology to the general public.
The biggest advantage of DeFAI over traditional DeFi is that it has introduced the technical abstraction we have been waiting for. Just as no one knows exactly how ChatGPT works behind the scenes, using blockchain and DeFi should be similar.
You may also like

Pantera Capital Partner: How Tokenization is Restructuring the Private Equity and Early Investment Ecosystem?

New York Proposes Stricter Stablecoin Issuer Rules Aligned With Federal GENIUS Act
NYDFS proposed stricter stablecoin issuer rules aligned with the GENIUS Act, covering reserves, custody, redemption timelines, audits, and capital buffers.

Every exchange is a "Universal Exchange."

The counterattack of traditional finance: Alliance chains are quietly reviving

CryptoQuant Says Bitcoin Profitable Supply Is Near 45% Pressure Zone as On-Chain Data Points to Market Repricing
CryptoQuant said Bitcoin’s profitable supply is nearing the 45% pressure zone, signaling rising market stress, unrealized losses, and a possible on-chain repricing phase.

Bitcoin Falls Below 200-Week Moving Average as On-Chain Data Shows Over Half of Supply in Loss
Bitcoin dropped below its 200-week moving average as on-chain data showed over 50% of circulating supply is now in loss, signaling rising market stress.

CFTC Reportedly Plans New Prediction Market Rules Focused on Manipulation Risk and Public Interest Review
The CFTC is reportedly preparing new prediction market rules focused on manipulation risk, public interest review, and retail trader protections.

Meet the new WEEX trial fund—your gateway to greater profits

WEEX Labs Lands at Dutch Blockchain Week: A Disruptive Crypto × AI Conversation Sets Sail in Amsterdam

SK Hynix Reportedly Plans U.S. ADR Listing as Early as August, With SEC Approval Possible in Late June
SK Hynix may pursue a U.S. ADR listing as early as August, with SEC approval reportedly possible in late June amid strong AI chip supply chain demand.

SpaceX vs Tesla vs xAI: Which Elon Musk Trade Has the Biggest Upside in 2026?

OpenAI Reveals It Has Confidentially Submitted an S-1 to the SEC, Keeping the Door Open for a Future IPO
On June 9, according to an OpenAI announcement, the company recently confidentially submitted a draft S-1 registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), beginning the preliminary compliance process for a potential initial public offering. OpenAI said it chose to disclose this proactively because it expected the news might leak; however, the company has not yet set a specific listing timeline, and related arrangements may still take some time.

Latest research from 13 top universities including Cornell University: The current state, challenges, and misconceptions of the fusion of Crypto and AI

Deconstructing Anthropic: The Best AI Company, Possibly Also a Type of Organizational Invention

Apollo and Blackstone Reportedly Back $35 Billion Anthropic Chip Financing as Deal Details Remain Unclear
On June 9, according to currently available news alerts, Apollo and Blackstone Group participated in a $35 billion financing for an Anthropic “chip project.” Based on the original wording of the report, the funding has already been raised, but public information remains limited. The financing structure, use of proceeds, project entity, and whether Apollo and Blackstone participated through equity, debt, or project financing have not yet been disclosed.

Humanity Protocol Security Incident Escalates: More Than $31 Million Stolen From Related Addresses as Attacker Continues Selling H for ETH
On June 9, according to monitoring by Onchain Lens, more than $31 million has been stolen from addresses linked to Humanity Protocol, and the attack is still ongoing, with the hacker continuously swapping H tokens for ETH. Project founder Terence Kwok later confirmed the security incident on X, saying the issue involved a private key leak.

Bloomberg: As Bitcoin Weakens, Stablecoins and RWA Continue to Drive Expansion in Crypto Businesses
In June, Bloomberg reported that despite Bitcoin falling below $60,000 last week, wiping out about $235 billion in market value within seven days, and dropping close to 50% from last year’s peak, some core businesses in the crypto industry are still expanding, mainly in stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization (RWA), payments, and infrastructure. The report also noted that overall altcoin activity has contracted significantly: altcoin market capitalization has fallen from a peak of about $431 billion in November 2021 to around $170 billion, and among the tens of millions of tokens issued in recent years, fewer than 1,700 still maintain meaningful trading activity.

Galaxy Deep Research Report: How Hyperliquid's HIP-4 Upgrade Changes the Landscape of Prediction Markets?
Pantera Capital Partner: How Tokenization is Restructuring the Private Equity and Early Investment Ecosystem?
New York Proposes Stricter Stablecoin Issuer Rules Aligned With Federal GENIUS Act
NYDFS proposed stricter stablecoin issuer rules aligned with the GENIUS Act, covering reserves, custody, redemption timelines, audits, and capital buffers.
Every exchange is a "Universal Exchange."
The counterattack of traditional finance: Alliance chains are quietly reviving
CryptoQuant Says Bitcoin Profitable Supply Is Near 45% Pressure Zone as On-Chain Data Points to Market Repricing
CryptoQuant said Bitcoin’s profitable supply is nearing the 45% pressure zone, signaling rising market stress, unrealized losses, and a possible on-chain repricing phase.
Bitcoin Falls Below 200-Week Moving Average as On-Chain Data Shows Over Half of Supply in Loss
Bitcoin dropped below its 200-week moving average as on-chain data showed over 50% of circulating supply is now in loss, signaling rising market stress.
