Three under-the-radar sub-narratives set to shape this cycle: the decentralized data economy; decentralized compute; and privacy as core blockchain infrastructure.
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There are more and more signs that the market is turning bullish. Bitcoin dominance is slipping, ETH is performing strongly and even flirting with new all-time highs, while large-cap alts are beginning to move. The big narratives of this cycle — AI, Real-World Assets, and Memecoins — are already well known and hyped. One might even say over-hyped. But the real alpha often lies one layer below, in sub-narratives that quietly build momentum before they hit the mainstream.
I’ll highlight three niches in the crypto space that we’ve been studying at We-DYOR in preparation for the bull market — areas that are increasingly buzzing with promising the small-to-mid cap projects:
1. The decentralized data economy:
You already know data is gold — but what if it became a true asset class, traded like any commodity? For years, your data has been exploited on your behalf; now, on-chain projects are flipping the script, letting users tokenize, control, and monetize their own information. With public datasets nearly exhausted and AI models starving for fresh inputs, private data is set to become the next frontier. The stakes are huge: the data market in 2023 was over half-a-billion dollar across the U.S., EU, Japan, and China, with projections topping $1 trillion by 2030
2. Decentralized Compute & Cloud
You probably already know Big Tech makes billions by nearly monopolizing the compute power & cloud market. What you might not know is that demand is exploding so fast that even centralized giants won’t be able to keep up as energy consumption could reach 1,065 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2030. That’s where decentralized cloud models come in, pooling underused compute from millions of small data centers and individuals worldwide. The upside is huge: cheaper, censorship-resistant, and more secure infrastructure. And the market is massive — the global public cloud was worth ~$750 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $1.3 trillion by 2028 and up to $3.5 trillion by 2035.
3. Privacy as Infrastructure:
In crypto, privacy has always been a double-edged sword — governments distrust it, criminals exploit it, yet businesses quietly depend on it. Without it, blockchains can’t break into sensitive sectors like finance, healthcare, or supply chains and enjoy wider adoption. The emerging field of confidential computing technology that encrypts data even while in use offers a bridge between regulation and privacy. The market sees the potential — valued at ~$2 billion in 2021, confidential computing is projected to grow 40–90% annually through 2026, underscoring just how critical privacy is to the future of blockchain.
Join us to go deeper into these narratives — and the promising crypto projects emerging within each.
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Beneath the Hype: Three sub-narratives to Watch Before the Bull Run was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.