NFTs Evolve, DeFi Expands, Crypto Settles: Web3's Quiet Leveling Up Behind the Scenes

Web3 Deep Dive: NFTs, DeFi, and Cryptocurrency Explained podcast.

I’m Crypto Willy, and this week in Web3 has been a perfect snapshot of how NFTs, DeFi, and crypto are quietly leveling up behind the scenes while everyone thinks the party ended in 2022.

Let’s start with **NFTs**. Castle Crypto’s latest stats show daily NFT trading still humming along with tens of millions in volume, not the mania of 2021 but a steady, sticky user base that isn’t leaving. Exploding Topics and The Business Research Company both say the broader NFT market is now a tens‑of‑billions game, with 2025 market size estimates around the low‑60‑billion‑dollar range, and user counts over 11 million globally. The old vibe of “JPEG casino” is fading; the new narrative is **utility**: gaming, ticketing, identity, and AI‑driven “iNFTs” like the new ERC‑7857 intelligent NFT standard announced by 0G Lab.

Zoom into the weekly action and you see what’s really moving. Traders Union reports NFT sales roughly flat in dollar terms around the mid‑$70 million mark for the week, but buyer counts jumped more than 20%, which means more wallets are getting involved even if whales are quieter. On Immutable’s gaming ecosystem, collections like **Guild of Guardians Heroes** and **Gods Unchained** climbed the charts hard, while older Ethereum blue chips like **Pudgy Penguins** and **CryptoPunks** slid in volume. That’s the rotation: away from flex collectibles, toward game assets with real in‑game roles.

Now connect that to **DeFi**. Ainvest this week highlighted how **fractional NFTs** are pushing fresh liquidity into DeFi. High‑value pieces—think Pak’s “The Merge” era of mega‑NFTs—are being sliced into fungible tokens that can plug into lending pools, AMMs, and yield vaults. Instead of just sitting as a flex on OpenSea, those fractions can be borrowed against on protocols the way people do with ETH or staked stablecoins. That’s the quiet bridge between NFT culture and hardcore DeFi rails: same infrastructure, new collateral type.

On the **crypto** layer underneath, price action was choppy but instructive. Traders Union noted Bitcoin pulling back while still sitting near cycle highs and Ethereum defending above the $3,000 zone. That stability on majors is exactly what you want if you’re building long‑term Web3 apps: predictable gas, less liquidation chaos, and a user base that isn’t constantly getting wiped out on leverage. Layer‑2 ecosystems like **Immutable zkEVM** and **Polygon** keep siphoning NFT volume from mainnet Ethereum, cutting fees so smaller, gaming‑centric transactions make sense again.

Put it all together and the pattern is clear:
– NFTs are maturing into **utility assets**.
– DeFi is evolving into **infrastructure for everything tokenized**, not just yield farmers.
– Crypto is settling into its role as the **settlement and security layer** for all of it.

That’s your Web3 deep dive for the week—NFTs, DeFi, and crypto all converging into one stack.

Thanks for tuning in, it means a lot. Come back next week for more Web3 breakdowns with me, Crypto Willy. This has been a Quiet Please production, and if you want more, check out QuietPlease dot AI.

Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Crypto, Willie, and this week in Web three has
been a perfect snapshot of how NFTs, DeFi and Crypto
are quietly leveling up behind the scenes while everyone thinks
the party ended. In twenty twenty two, let's start with NFTs.
Castle Crypto's latest stats showed daily NFT trading still humming,
along with tens of millions in volume. Not the mannia

(00:22):
of twenty twenty one, but a steady, sticky userbase that
isn't leaving exploding. Topics and the Business Research Company both
say the broader NFT market is now a tens of
billions game, with twenty twenty five market sized estimates around
the low sixty billion dollar range and user counts over
eleven million globally. The old vive of JP casino is fading.

(00:44):
The new narrative is utility, gaming, ticketing, identity and AI
driven INFTS like the new ERC DASH seven eight five
seven intelligent NFT standard announced by zero Grand's lab. Zoom
into the weekly action and you see what's really moving.
Traders Union reports NFT sales roughly flat in dollar terms
around the mid seventy dollars million mark for the week,

(01:07):
but buyer counts jumped more than twenty percent, which means
more wallets are getting involved, even if whales are quieter.
On Immutable's gaming ecosystem, collections like Guild of Guardians, Heroes
and Gods Unchained climb the charts hard while older ethereum
blue chips like Pudgy Penguins and crypto Punks slid in volume.
That's the rotation away from flex collectibles toward game assets

(01:30):
with real in game rolls. Now connect that to dephi.
A invest this week highlighted how fractional NFTs are pushing
fresh liquidity into DeFi PIH value pieces think packs. The
merged era of Mega NFTs are being sliced into fungible
tokens that can plug into lending pools a m MS
and yield vaults instead of just sitting as a flex

(01:51):
on open sea. Those fractions can be borrowed against on
protocols the way people do with eth or staked stable coins.
That's the quiet bridge between NFT cos culture and hardcore
DeFi rails, same infrastructure, new collateral type on the crypto
layer underneath. Price action was choppy but instructive. Trader's Union
noted Bitcoin pulling back while still sitting near cycle highs

(02:14):
and Ethereum defending above the three thousand dollars zone. That
stability on major's is exactly what you want if you're
building long term Web three apps. Predictable gas, less liquidation chaos,
and a user base that isn't constantly getting wiped out
on leverage layer two ecosystems like immutable, zkevm an Appalon
Polygon keep siphoning NFT volume from main neet Ethereum, cutting

(02:37):
fees so smaller gaming centric transactions make sense. Again, put
it all together and the pattern is clear. Dfive five
hundred dollars is permitted to maintaining into utility assets. DeFi
is evolving into infrastructure for everything tokenized, not just yield farmers.
Crypto is settling into its role as the settlement and
security layer for all of it. That's your Web three

(03:00):
deep dive for the week. N f TS, DeFi, and
Crypto all converging into one stack. Thanks for tuning in.
It means a lot. Come back next week for more
Web three breakdowns with me Crypto Willie. This has been
a quiet please production, and if you want more check
out quiet please dot a I