Why Prediction Markets Won Consumer Crypto in 2025

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Consumer crypto fundraising in 2025 was largely defined by the rise of prediction markets. Platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi transformed digital asset infrastructure into instruments for assessing public events. For many users, these platforms now function as a source of real-time truth.

My take is that two priorities shaped the year. Institutions concentrated on building enterprise-grade infrastructure for tokenization and custody. At the same time, investments moved into consumer apps that abstracted technical complexity to support practical use. Prediction market apps emerged as the primary bridge between retail participation and institutional-grade crypto rails, and capital inflows from major funds followed closely. 

While SocialFi projects like Metya and fomo.family gained user interest, traditional sectors like gaming and NFTs took a secondary position in the market. The year marked a transition toward the foundations required for regulated institutional products, and away from the direct promotion of infrastructure and products to non-crypto-native users.

Top 3 Consumer Deals

Polymarket Raises $2B from ICE to Mainstream Prediction Market Data 

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, announced a $2 billion strategic investment in Polymarket in early October. The round valued Polymarket at $9 billion, marking the largest single raise for a crypto-native consumer product in 2025. As part of the deal, ICE became the exclusive distributor of Polymarket’s prediction market data to institutional clients. 

Earlier in the year, Polymarket raised $150 million from Founders Fund at a $1.2 billion valuation and acquired derivatives venue QCEX for $112 million. The acquisition gave the platform a pathway into the U.S. market through a CFTC-regulated entity. 

Kalshi Lands $1B to Scale Regulated Event Trading Globally

In November, Kalshi announced a $1 billion Series E round led by Sequoia and CapitalG. The round valued the platform at $11 billion, following a $300 million raise weeks earlier that included Paradigm and Andreessen Horowitz. 

Kalshi operates as a CFTC-regulated event exchange, allowing users in over 140 countries to trade on real-world outcomes. The raise came amid a sharp rise in platform activity. Trading volume surpassed $50 billion annually, up from just $300 million in 2024. The new capital followed a number of catalysts, including a rise in political markets tied to the 2025 New York mayoral race and a search integration partnership with Google Finance. 

Metya Secures $50M to Build AI-Native SocialFi on TON 

In December, Metya raised $50 million in a strategic round to expand its SocialFi dating app. The platform combines AI agents with token-based incentives and operates entirely through Telegram, using The Open Network (TON) for backend infrastructure. 

Earlier in the year, Metya joined the Telegram Growth Hub Accelerator and received $10 million from OKX Ventures, The Open Platform, and Folius Ventures to scale its ecosystem. The company also launched Metya Ventures, a fund backing Web3 entertainment projects. Its ecosystem includes the $MY token and MePay, an AI-integrated payments system that supports Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Honorable Mentions