WebX 2025, Asia's flagship Web3 conference in Tokyo, drew over 14,000 attendees, signaling strong market interest and confidence in the evolving digital asset landscape.

Conference Overview and Attendance Highlights

WebX 2025, organized by CoinPost, Japan's largest crypto media outlet, concluded its third edition in Tokyo. The event attracted over 14,000 attendees and hosted 170 side events across two days. Distinguished speakers included Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Arthur Hayes (CEO of Maelstrom), Adam Back (Co-founder of Blockstream), CZ (Founder of Binance), Hayden Adams (Founder of Uniswap Labs), Haseeb Qureshi (Managing Partner of Dragonfly), Heath Tarbert (President of Circle Internet Group), and Yoshitaka Kitao (Representative Director, Chairman, President & CEO of SBI Holdings).

Key event highlights included a "LIGHT DANCE" drone show involving 300 drones and an official after-party. The conference is scheduled to return on July 13-14, 2026, with organizers aiming for further expansion, projecting over 15,000 professionals from nearly 100 countries.

Key Discussion Areas and Financial Dynamics

The conference facilitated extensive discussions on critical Web3 trends, including stablecoins, artificial intelligence (AI), asset tokenization (Real World Assets or RWA), decentralized applications, and game innovation. The WebX FinTech EXPO, powered by SBI Group, convened 1,000 regulators and global financial leaders, including Yoshitaka Kitao, Hirofumi Yoshimura (Governor of Osaka Prefecture), and Eiji Kobayashi (Country Head of Securitize Japan K.K.), to deliberate on technological innovations and regulatory trajectories shaping future financial markets.

Evidence of the sector's growth was highlighted, with the Web3 market demonstrating an annual growth rate of 28.54%. Investments are substantial, with an average of $10.7 million per funding round, supported by over 2,300 investors and 9,800 completed funding rounds. Stablecoin market capitalization notably doubled to over $200 billion in 2024, indicating their increasing adoption for transactions and settlements. Furthermore, the integration of AI within Web3 is accelerating, with the share of Web3 projects utilizing AI increasing from 27% in 2023 to 34% in 2024. AI's role in analyzing on-chain data for fraud detection and enhancing predictive analytics for decentralized finance protocols was a focal point.

Japan's Strategic Positioning and Regulatory Adjustments

WebX 2025 underscored Japan's strategic emergence as a significant Web3 hub. A key regulatory development discussed was Japan's intention to reclassify crypto income under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. This reclassification aims to reduce the tax rate on crypto income from a potential high of 55% as "miscellaneous income" to a standardized 20%, aligning it with stock trading taxation and United States standards. This regulatory shift is anticipated to foster a more favorable environment for investment and innovation within the Japanese digital asset landscape.

Broader Market Implications

The successful conclusion of WebX 2025 is indicative of a bullish market sentiment within the Web3 ecosystem. The conference's robust attendance and high-level participation suggest growing confidence and interest in the sector, particularly within Asia. This collaborative environment is expected to stimulate increased partnerships and investments, alongside fostering greater regulatory clarity. The focused discussions on RWA tokenization and stablecoin adoption are poised to accelerate the mainstream integration of these technologies. The commitment to a larger-scale event in 2026 signifies sustained momentum and confidence in the long-term trajectory of Web3 innovation and adoption globally.