I've been using social media for over a decade, and I've never received payment for any of it. Not for the memes, hot takes, market calls, or even the countless hours spent training someone else's algorithm. Meanwhile, Big Tech made billions.

It's a weird deal when you think about it: We provide the content, they pocket the cash.

That's where InfoFi, short for Information Finance, enters. If DeFi gives users control of their capital, InfoFi aims to provide them with control over their data, their digital footprint, and, yes, their attention.

In 2025, a growing wave of startups is building new markets around the idea that information itself is a yield-bearing asset. Forget yield farming with tokens, what if the signal you tweet, the insights you write, or the intel you share became instantly monetizable?

Let's examine the major participants in this market and why they might be among the most innovative initiatives to watch in 2025.

What Is InfoFi and Why Is It Important?

InfoFi = Information + Finance: a framework that turns online activity, tweets, Discord posts, GitHub commits, into monetizable assets through blockchain. It's not about fleeting ad impressions; it's about tokenising human behaviour.

InfoFi tackles three longstanding issues:

Data ownership: Users reclaim the value they generate.
Transparency: Verifiable attribution via on-chain mechanisms.
Incentivization: Creators earn directly from protocols, not ads.

Combining data science, AI, and defi-like token models, InfoFi platforms reward participation, whether it's submitting alpha, sentiment labels, or verified opinions. AI models need diversified, high-quality data; InfoFi sources it while compensating contributors.

Key trends shaping the space include:

Creator-first economic models, in which users profit from their content rather than rent it out.
Sentiment markets, where opinions are tradable signals.
AI-powered curation, filtering quality content with machine precision.

By converting digital attention into yield, InfoFi aligns incentives in a manner that legacy platforms have never achieved. Its potential goes beyond niche hacks; it may redefine digital labour compensation.

Top InfoFi Projects to Watch in 2025

Each of the following projects brings unique architecture, real traction, and token incentives, showcasing InfoFi's early evolution from theory to market. They range from analytics platforms to data brokers, each validating attention as tradable currency.

1. Kaito

Kaito is a leading InfoFi platform, often referred to as the "Bloomberg Terminal of Web3." It merges two primary products, Kaito Analytics and KaitoYaps, into a unified ecosystem that monetises both sentiment and creator content. While Analytics targets institutional users with AI-powered sentiment insights, Yaps rewards verified contributors with token incentives for high-quality information.

Kaito Analytics leverages proprietary machine learning to analyse real-time data from Twitter (X), Discord, and GitHub. Rather than offering static dashboards, it delivers live sentiment signals to help hedge funds, AI models, and quant traders detect market mood shifts ahead of time.

KaitoYaps is a creator hub. With over 200,000 vetted "yappers," it filters content through AI scoring to reward insightful posts. Spam is penalized, while meaningful insights earn points that are convertible to KAITO tokens. This system maintains content quality and data integrity.

The platform boasts strong tokenomics: KAITO offers ~11% APY via staking, and the team has executed $3.9 million in buybacks. According to CoinMarketCap and Dune Analytics, Kaito generated $33 million in annualised revenue by Q2 2025. With a $423–$502 million market cap, it trades at a 15–18x P/S ratio, lower than typical SaaS valuations.

Kaito's competitive edge lies in its self-reinforcing loop: elite creator data enhances AI accuracy, which in turn attracts more users and institutions. However, risks include dependency on public APIs and rising competition from gamified rivals, such as Cookie DAO.

Still, with its scalable insights and creator-first model, Kaito remains a cornerstone of InfoFi in 2025.

2. Ocean Protocol

Ocean Protocol is a decentralised data marketplace designed to unlock the value of data while preserving privacy and ownership. In the InfoFi ecosystem, Ocean transforms underutilised datasets into tradable assets, enabling a permissionless, privacy-preserving exchange of information across industries.

At the core is Ocean Market, where users can tokenise datasets as "data NFTs" and list them for sale. Only authorised users may access any dataset since it is encrypted and secured by access control. Compute-to-Data is one noteworthy feature that addresses a significant privacy concern by enabling algorithms to process data without ever disclosing the raw data.

Ocean's real-world utility is evident: healthcare providers monetize anonymized patient data, logistics companies license route optimization models, and AI developers access cleaner datasets to reduce bias in machine learning. These use cases establish Ocean as the foundation for scalable and moral data monetisation.

With initiatives totaling more than €100 million in investment, Ocean is a prominent player in the European Data Spaces effort and is supported by major companies such as Daimler and BP Ventures. The OCEAN token is trading 50% above its bear market lows, reflecting renewed institutional interest.

With strong governance, regulatory foresight, and real-world integration, Ocean Protocol is emerging as the trusted data brokerage layer of Web3.

3. Fetch.ai

Fetch.ai is at the forefront of InfoFi innovation, building a decentralised infrastructure where autonomous economic agents (AEAs) operate independently to exchange data and services. These software entities perform intelligent transactions on behalf of individuals, businesses, and devices, making machine-to-machine communication a reality.

Autonomous Economic Agents (AEAs): These agents act independently to gather, analyse, and trade data in real time.
Machine Learning Integration: Built-in AI algorithms help agents learn and optimise behaviour over time.
Smart Contract Automation: Ensures secure and transparent interactions between agents.
Reputation Protocol: On-chain identity and reputation scoring encourage reliable, high-quality participation.

Fetch.ai's agents are used in smart cities to optimise traffic flow, manage power grids, and automate logistics. In DePIN (Decentralised Physical Infrastructure Networks), Fetch facilitates peer-to-peer data exchange between IoT sensors and buyers. Autonomous agents are also being tested in microtransactions for decentralised finance and artificial intelligence systems.

Bosch was one of the major partners that helped Fetch.ai grow in 2024 by using its agent technology to provide cutting-edge mobility solutions. Strong investor confidence is shown by the over 70% increase in its native token, FET, from its 2023 lows. The project's position as a foundational layer for decentralized automation and InfoFi data flows is being solidified by its growing staking programs and increased ecosystem engagement.

4. Filecoin

Filecoin serves as the decentralized storage backbone of the InfoFi ecosystem. Using a proof-of-replication consensus, it ensures the verifiable availability of data, enabling the safe and distributed storage of critical datasets.

Verifiable Storage Proofs: Users can cryptographically verify that data is stored correctly without needing to access the content.
Deal Market: A marketplace where storage providers and buyers negotiate contracts.
Filecoin Plus: A system that rewards reputable storage providers to promote quality.

For storing huge and sensitive files, including academic research, AI training checkpoints, and NFT metadata, Filecoin is essential. For projects that need to monetise access without centralised hosting, it facilitates data availability.

Filecoin protects more than 20 exabytes (EiB) of data worldwide as of mid-2025. The number of ecosystem applications using the protocol has increased by 50% in the last year. Due to advancements in deal structure and rising demand for decentralised cloud storage, its token, FIL, has recovered more than 60% from its 2023 lows.

5. Chainlink

Chainlink connects blockchain networks with real-world data to support decentralised oracles. Its architecture provides secure access to off-chain data for AI agents and smart contracts, which is vital for InfoFi.

CCIP (Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol): Enhances communication between blockchains.
Proof of Reserves (PoR): Ensures real-world assets back tokenised instruments.
Robust Oracle Network: Maintains high uptime and data accuracy through a decentralised set of nodes.

Chainlink oracles are utilised to provide real-time price data to DeFi platforms, automate insurance claims based on weather or supply chain triggers, and equip AI agents with real-time inputs such as market news or sports data. Its integration into AI and InfoFi systems ensures trust and accuracy.

Due in part to enterprise-grade integrations, the Chainlink LINK token has increased by almost 80% since its plunge in early 2024. Chainlink's position as the primary data infrastructure layer for both institutional and decentralised markets was solidified by its noteworthy collaboration with SWIFT, which showcased oracle-based cross-chain asset transfers.

Key Trends in InfoFi for 2025

Trend 1: Decentralised Data Ownership and Control

Platforms like Kaito and Ocean provide consumers with complete ownership over their data, allowing them to benefit from it and opening up new economic incentives that were previously only available to Big Tech.

Trend 2: Data Privacy and Security

By enabling encrypted, permissioned data sharing, the Filecoin and Ocean protocols protect user privacy and increase the security of monetisation.

Trend 3: AI and Machine Learning Integration

In combination with Elfa AI, fetch.ai's autonomous agents demonstrate how InfoFi uses AI to curate data, rewarding users for signals rather than volume.

Trend 4: Cross-Chain Data Exchange

Chainlink's CCIP and integration efforts enable multi-chain data fluidity, critical for InfoFi's composability across protocols and blockchains.

Challenges Facing InfoFi Projects

Scalability & Adoption

Many InfoFi platforms need robust UX and mainstream access. Institutional adoption hinges on understanding token models and legal exposure, which can delay momentum.

Regulatory Risks

Emerging data commodification may trigger policy scrutiny. EU's GDPR, California's CCPA, and evolving crypto regulation could complicate attribution, token rewards, and data usage.

Competitive Landscape

Legacy data brokers, such as AWS, Google, and Experian, along with Web2 sentiment firms, compete directly. InfoFi must offer clearer incentives and lower latency.

Conclusion

By turning mood and content into directly monetizable assets, InfoFi is revolutionising online compensation. Platforms like Kaito, Ocean, Fetch.ai, Filecoin, and Chainlink are leading the way in creating new forms of value for consumers as blockchain, AI, and data converge.

These initiatives are the first signs of a revolution in the data economy; therefore, keep a close eye on them. Whether you are an investor, developer, or contributor, working with InfoFi now might have a significant impact later.

If you want to learn more about such topics, keep an eye on CoinEx’s Academy section.

FAQs

What is InfoFi in cryptocurrency?

InfoFi, or information finance, refers to monetizing data, insights, and online activity through blockchain-based systems. It transforms user-generated content and attention into financial assets using tokens and decentralization.

How does decentralised data sharing work?

Decentralized data sharing eliminates the need for central servers, enabling users to share or monetize their data securely. Platforms like Ocean Protocol and Filecoin use blockchain, encryption, and smart contracts to protect ownership and privacy. This enables researchers, AI agents, and protocols to access valuable data transparently while preserving user control and trust.

Which InfoFi project has the highest potential in 2025?

Kaito is currently leading the InfoFi sector in 2025. With a $33M annualised revenue model, advanced AI sentiment engines, verified content creators ("yappers"), and a dual-platform approach (Analytics + Yaps), it combines B2B intelligence tools with creator monetisation. Its strong tokenomics, network effects, and early enterprise traction make it the most validated and promising InfoFi project in terms of growth, innovation, and long-term adoption.

Top InfoFi Projects to Watch in 2025: Kaito, Ocean, Fetch & More