A16z Crypto: The Next Stage of Crypto Industry Development Will Surpass the Scope of New Blockchain According to The Block, a16z Crypto stated in its new outlook report released on Thursday that the next stage of industry development this year will no longer primarily depend on the emergence of new blockchain technologies, but rather on how the technology reshapes the market, computing infrastructure, and media sectors. With the expansion of the prediction market size, the integration of encrypted proof into enterprise systems, and the emergence of "real money and silver investment" in the financial sector as a new cornerstone of trust, the industry will usher in a transformation. Driven by advances in cryptography, artificial intelligence, and market design, native encryption tools are increasingly penetrating into many industries beyond decentralized finance. Blockchain will play a role as the underlying infrastructure, rather than as an independent application scenario or terminal target. A16z Crypto states that with the integration of prediction markets, encryption technology, and artificial intelligence, the prediction market will become larger, broader, and more complex by 2026; The next phase of growth will not only involve more contracts, but also involve resolving the issue of truth judgments in dispute outcomes in a better way. In addition, 2026 may be a turning point for the expansion of cryptographic proofs into non blockchain industries, as advances in zero knowledge virtual machine technology significantly reduce the cost of generating proofs, making verifiable computing a viable solution for cloud CPU workloads and ultimately consumer devices. The third focus of the company is the rise of "pledged media"; In this model, creators, analysts and commentators make publicly verifiable commitments using encryption tools to keep their incentives consistent with their claims; Tokenized assets, programmable lock-in, and on chain historical records enable media participants to demonstrate their credibility by assuming capital or reputational risks, which audiences can review.