2026-01-21 00:40:52

There are many interesting ideas within the industry regarding the development direction of the crypto market in 2026.

Perpetual contract decentralized exchanges (Perp DEXs) have the greatest potential for evolution. In the future, these platforms may no longer just facilitate trade matching but could integrate functions of brokerages, exchanges, custodians, banks, and clearinghouses. In other words, a single platform could handle the entire process from trading to settlement, which would be a significant disruption to traditional financial infrastructure.

On the API payment layer, the x402 protocol opens up new possibilities—any API can be accessed through encrypted payments. What does this mean? AI agents can trade autonomously without human intermediaries. Imagine AI directly calling DEX interfaces and DeFi protocols to make trading decisions and execute trades on its own. Achieving this level of automation is still quite challenging today.

These changes point in the same direction: the boundaries of DeFi are expanding, and roles are being reshuffled. It is evolving from a simple trading tool into a comprehensive financial infrastructure.

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DegenGambler

· 9h ago

AI autonomous trading, to be honest, is a bit scary. --- The one-stop perp dex has long been overdue; I've been waiting so long I feel like my hair has fallen out. --- That set of x402 feels still too early; I don't know when it will truly land. --- Are they drawing another big pie? If it can operate stably by 2026, that would be a blessing. --- This is the real infrastructure, not those flashy things. --- AI automatic trading... just thinking about it makes me a little terrified. Who will bear the risks then? --- I like the dream of DeFi taking over traditional finance, but there's still a long way to go. --- Once all these are realized, retail investors will probably be pushed out long ago, haha. --- I really believe in perpetual contract DEXs; other things can be discussed later.

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WealthCoffee

· 9h ago

Is AI autonomous trading reliable? It seems extremely risky.

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DaisyUnicorn

· 9h ago

Hey, AI autonomous trading sounds romantic, but I just want to ask—who will save it when it gets liquidated?

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GasGrillMaster

· 9h ago

I'll take another look, feels like 2026 is still early... But if a one-stop DEX like this really appears, traditional trading will be panicked. AI autonomous trading sounds really explosive, just worried that in the end, robots will cut even more thoroughly.

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StakeTillRetire

· 9h ago

Wow, AI autonomous trading really can't be resisted. It feels a bit outrageous. The one-stop full-service package is indeed powerful, but who will bear the risks? Wait, is the x402 protocol reliable? Can these two things run simultaneously? Feels like I might have to switch careers and work with AI in 2026... This wave of infrastructure restructuring has the centralized trading income crying to death.

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