MACAO, May 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the crypto industry moves beyond speculative growth cycles, KuCoin believes the next phase of Web3 competition will be defined not by traffic or token incentives, but by trust infrastructure.

Speaking at BEYOND Expo 2026 in Macao during the panel discussion "The Answer to Web3 Liquidity: Asset Management, CEX, DEX and the Future," KuCoin Chief Marketing Officer Skylar Wu said the industry is undergoing a structural transition from an "attention economy" toward a "trust economy," where long-term growth increasingly depends on transparency, compliance, security, and sustainable infrastructure.

"The era of growth driven purely by speculative traffic and short-term incentives is fading," said Skylar during the panel discussion. "The next generation of platforms will not win because they attract the most attention — they will win because they build the most trusted infrastructure."

Skylar argued that the crypto industry is entering a new competitive phase where liquidity alone is no longer sufficient. Instead, users and institutions are increasingly prioritizing execution reliability, transparency, regulatory clarity, and security resilience as digital assets become more integrated into mainstream financial systems."In the past, infrastructure was measured primarily by speed and liquidity," she said. "Today, infrastructure must also be measured by resilience, compliance, transparency, and the ability to operate sustainably across global markets."

According to Skylar, this transformation is also reshaping how liquidity itself evolves. Rather than existing as isolated ecosystems, centralized exchanges, decentralized protocols, institutional infrastructure, and payment networks are increasingly converging into a more interconnected "hybrid liquidity" environment.

"Users care less about where liquidity comes from, and more about whether execution is efficient, secure, and reliable," she said. "Future platforms will abstract away blockchain complexity and deliver experiences that feel as intuitive as mainstream internet applications."

Skylar further pointed to Bitcoin ETFs, stablecoin adoption, and expanding global regulatory frameworks as signals that digital assets are increasingly transitioning from speculative assets into financial infrastructure. She noted that stablecoins, in particular, are evolving into global payment and settlement rails rather than remaining purely trading instruments.

As part of KuCoin's long-term "Trust First" strategy, Skylar highlighted the company's continued investments in Proof of Reserves transparency, institutional-grade infrastructure, security systems, and global compliance initiatives, including KuCoin's ongoing $2 billion Trust Project."Web3 is no longer just building trading platforms," Skylar concluded. "The industry is building the trust infrastructure for the next era of digital finance. As global markets become increasingly interconnected, KuCoin aims to evolve beyond an exchange and help build the trust infrastructure that powers the One Global Financial Market."

About KuCoin

Founded in 2017, KuCoin is a leading global crypto platform built on trust and security, serving over 40 million users across 200+ countries and regions. Known for its reliability and user-first approach, the platform combines advanced technology, deep liquidity, and strong security safeguards to deliver a seamless trading experience. KuCoin provides access to 1,500+ digital assets through a broad product suite and remains committed to building transparent, compliant, and user-centric digital asset infrastructure for the future of finance, backed by SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certifications. In recent years, we have built a strong global compliance foundation, marked by key milestones including AUSTRAC registration in Australia, a MiCA license in Europe, and regulatory progress in other markets.

Learn more at www.kucoin.com.