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Algorand Highlights the Role of Layer-1s in Real-World Blockchain Adoption
Algorand – The crypto industry in 2025 is undergoing a pivotal transformation, moving beyond hype cycles toward tangible utility and adoption. With stablecoin frameworks taking shape, tokenized assets entering mainstream markets, and artificial intelligence beginning to transact on-chain, the foundation of this evolution lies with layer-1 blockchains.
Layer-1s at the Core of the Industry
“Layer-1s are still the backbone of the industry,” said Marc Vanlerberghe, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at the Algorand Foundation, during an episode of Decentralize with Cointelegraph. “Everything else builds on top of them. You can innovate endlessly at the edges, but without a secure and scalable base, none of it holds.”
Layer-1 networks are no longer seen as experimental projects but as the infrastructure powering real-world adoption, enabling the scalability, security, and efficiency required for the next wave of blockchain innovation.
Tackling Adoption Challenges
Despite significant progress in performance, user onboarding and retention remain a major challenge. Vanlerberghe highlighted the hurdles:
“It is an impossible challenge today. You have to be really, really, really motivated to jump through the hoops and confront the complexity that crypto is.”
This complexity discourages newcomers from staying engaged after their first experience with blockchain applications. To counter this, projects across the ecosystem are rolling out gamified campaigns and simplified wallet designs aimed at reducing friction and making user interactions more intuitive.
Algorand’s Vision: A North Star for Adoption
For Algorand, the path forward centers on both retail adoption and enterprise use cases such as tokenization and payments. “We want people to experience the benefits of using Algorand, not by talking about instant finality, but by having people experience it,” Vanlerberghe explained.
He stressed the importance of resilience and clarity: “You just have to really understand what your North Star is. And through highs and lows, you just continue to make progress.”
As tokenized finance grows and blockchain solutions meet real-world scale, layer-1 blockchains are positioning themselves not only to survive but to remain essential pillars of the digital economy.
