Crypto Market Sector Yield Predictions for the Year 2024 by CoinGecko
In the world of cryptocurrencies, the figures represent the average daily returns of the ten largest tokens in each narrative, covering the period from January 1 or the first available price data to December 29. The data reveals an intriguing picture of the crypto market's performance over the past year.
The most profitable crypto narrative of 2024 was AI, with an average price gain of 2940%. AI tokens surpassed meme coins, which were the second most profitable, with an average price gain of 2185%, on December 9. Meme coins had a return of 3211% until this date, with most of the growth occurring in March, rising from 97% to 1713%.
However, not all narratives fared equally well. Some, such as DeFi, Gaming, and L2, lagged behind in terms of returns. Gaming was the seventh most profitable, with an average price gain of 14%. DeFi was the sixth most profitable, with an average price gain of 101%. L2 was the eighth most profitable, but it had negative returns of -21%.
RWA was the third most profitable, with an average price gain of 820%. The return of L1 and DePIN slightly outperformed Bitcoin (+125.5%).
The long-term popularity of AI agents in the crypto market is cautiously positive but remains uncertain and evolving. After an initial peak frenzy in late 2024 where AI agent market caps surpassed $10 billion, most AI agent tokens experienced a steep drop of over 95%, indicating a speculative bubble burst. Despite this, there is a rebound and renewed interest in certain resilient, established AI agent projects supported by strong communities, especially on Ethereum and Layer 2 chains like Base.
Key trends shaping the longer-term outlook include consolidation and maturation, technological integration, strategic corporate backing, and market resilience of credible projects. The hype-driven token launches are slowing, with attention shifting to proven protocols offering real infrastructure for deploying AI agents. On-chain data provenance for training AI models and the role of blockchain as the financial and trust layer support autonomous economic agents, enhancing practical use cases beyond speculation. Major players like Coinbase are implementing AI strategies, signaling institutional confidence in the convergence of AI and crypto technologies.
In summary, although the crypto AI agent sector went through a severe correction after a speculative boom in 2024, the foundations laid during that period, combined with evolving blockchain infrastructure and selective token recoveries, suggest a cautiously optimistic long-term outlook where AI agents become integrated, autonomous participants in decentralized digital economies. The next 1-2 years appear critical for moving beyond hype towards practical and composable AI-enabled crypto financial services.
For more details, you can find the study at this link: https://t.co/GhkQh9CGtt. Interestingly, CoinGecko identified meme coins as the top trend among traders in 2024.
Investing in AI tokens was the most profitable crypto narrative of 2024, surpassing even meme coins, with an average price gain of 2940%. Although a speculative bubble burst occurred in late 2024, the 2025 outlook remains cautiously optimistic, as the foundations laid during the boom, combined with evolving blockchain infrastructure, suggest the integration of AI agents as autonomous participants in decentralized digital economies. Additionally, the finance sector, particularly in terms of technology, is closely watching the convergence of AI and crypto technologies, with major players like Coinbase implementing AI strategies.
