In the noisy world of Web3, narratives often speak louder than facts, and new terminology tends to appear faster than technology can meaningfully iterate.

From ICOs to DeFi, from NFTs to RWAs, and now the latest cycle of AI+Crypto—the industry keeps reinventing its vocabulary at a pace that outstrips most people’s ability to grasp the fundamentals behind it.

At its core, Web3 was meant to be built on shared consensus—decentralization, openness, and community-driven development.

Yet as the industry expands at high speed and capital floods in, these once-solid values have been diluted. More and more projects rely on narratives to create perceived value; more people enter Web3 for the “trend,” not the belief; and those who genuinely maintain a sense of community-driven mission have become increasingly rare.

This is precisely why someone like Anndy Lian (@anndylian) stands out.

With a background that spans government advisory roles in Mongolia, a board seat at Hyundai DAC, involvement in national digital strategy, several bestselling books, and cross-cultural influence in the Web3 ecosystem, he could have easily become one of the most “institutionalized” voices in the industry.

But he chose a different path—lonelier, sharper, less popular, yet far more authentic.

He does not worship regulation, chase hype, or seek favor from power. Above all his titles and roles, he insists on holding onto one core identity: someone who still takes the original spirit of Web3 seriously.

And such insistence has become rare.

Guest Profile

• Anndy Lian is a blockchain expert specializing in government collaboration, having served as a Web3 and digitalization advisor in Korea, Singapore, Mongolia, and other countries.
• He is the bestselling author of Blockchain Revolution 2030, NFT: From Zero to Hero, and more, covering policy, industry, and public education.
• An active investor and board member for multiple companies, he focuses on early-stage projects, infrastructure, and global digital-economy development.
• With nearly 200,000 followers on X, he is among Singapore’s most influential Web3 thinkers and content creators.

█ “Decentralization in Web3 Has Long Been Dead.”

For years, Anndy’s work unfolded inside government meeting rooms.

Around 2017, as many countries began exploring digital governance, he joined discussions on regulatory frameworks in Singapore, Korea, Mongolia, and others—sitting at the same table as policymakers debating how they should interpret Web3.

This proximity gave him a rare view of the logic behind regulation at a national level:

• Financial powerhouses ask how Web3 can merge into their existing systems.
• Emerging countries ask whether blockchain can strengthen infrastructure.
• And most regulatory frameworks, at their core, exist to protect existing capital.

“Regulation will come—and it will definitely come. But the rules set by governments mostly protect the wealthy,” he says.

It’s one of his most direct, and most candid, judgments.

Years of institutional experience didn’t make him trust power more—it made him understand it more deeply: how it operates, how it shapes markets, how it influences narratives.

This led him to a clear conclusion:

“Crypto needs regulation, but it should not be governed by governments or centralized authorities. It needs a set of trustworthy rules.”

Behind this statement lies both vigilance toward power and loyalty to Web3’s original intent.

Which is also why he ultimately said:

“Decentralization in Web3 has long been dead.”

This is not pessimism. It is a sober acknowledgment of how power structures work in the real world.

Paradoxically, this clarity is what strengthens his belief that someone must continue to keep a distance from power—and stay close to the community and the everyday users that keep Web3 alive.

█ Finding Real Value Among the Ruins of Narratives

Viewed across time, Web3 follows a familiar cycle:

Narrative emerges → Hype inflates → Capital rushes in → Crowd frenzy → Logic collapses → Story dissolves.

ICO, DeFi, NFTs, GameFi, RWA—none have escaped this pattern.

Anndy does not oppose new narratives.

He opposes replacing facts with narratives.

On the current hype around RWA, he offers a viewpoint many find uncomfortable:

“If a real-estate developer is doing well, they don’t need to go on-chain.

If they’re doing poorly, going on-chain won’t make anyone buy.

Much of RWA is a metaphysical story.”

On NFTs, he is equally blunt:

“Aside from art, most NFT structures are built for extracting money.”

Yet he is not anti-narrative; he simply understands that long-term value never comes from emotional surges—it comes from capabilities.

If he had to name the capabilities that will define the next decade of Web3, they would be:

1. AI + Blockchain: The Engine of Next-Generation Consensus

He believes the structure of Web4 is already taking shape:

• AI determines consensus
• Blockchain provides the foundation
• Humans reduce subjective control
• Governance shifts from organizations to models

“I trust code and AI more than ever—and I’ve become more cautious about trusting humans.”

This is not only a technical forecast—it is a governance philosophy.

 

2. Prediction Markets + Oracle Networks: The Undervalued Infrastructure

Prediction markets are not simply “bets on the future”—they support risk management, asset pricing, social consensus, and financial products.

Oracles, meanwhile, are the gateway through which all off-chain data enters blockchain systems.

“They are not just sectors—they are long-term, foundational capabilities.”

In other words, they are cross-cycle assets.

3. Privacy: The Future Default of All Chains

He believes the privacy narrative may be short-lived, but privacy as a capability will be long-lasting.

“Privacy will not become one big sector—but it will become the default of every chain.”

Like the security module of an operating system: not sexy, but absolutely essential.

His investment philosophy therefore reduces to one simple question:

“Can this survive for a decade?”

█ While Industry Leaders Talk About the Future, He Talks About the Present

On stage, the industry loves speaking in future tense:

projects talk ecosystems, VCs talk cycles, experts talk trends.

But for Anndy, evaluating a project is surprisingly simple—even blunt:

“If a project doesn’t have a real community of at least 500 users, I won’t touch it.”

In an industry supported by PPTs, roadmaps, and press releases, this is almost a form of rebellion.

What he cannot tolerate are projects with:

• Zero product
• Zero users
• Zero real business

Yet still packaging themselves as “the next revolution.”

He only looks at three things:

• Does the technology actually work?
• Do real users exist?
• Has the community formed genuine consensus?

He avoids the lofty conversations of industry elites, but willingly spends time answering questions from retail users.

This isn’t sentimentality—it is a return to where Web3 should have always belonged: the people and the community.

█ Epilogue: The Weight of Being Clear-Minded

In Web3, stories are easier to construct than systems, and trends are easier to chase than value.

But when the tide recedes, what remains are not the loudest voices, but the clearest ones.

Anndy has crossed policy rooms, capital circles, corporate boards, and grassroots communities—yet he has never become polished or complacent.

Instead, his boundaries have only grown sharper:

No pandering.

No avoidance.

No embellishment.

No compromise.

He critiques false narratives because he believes in real value.

He questions regulation because he understands power.

He avoids the limelight yet walks with the users.

He knows decentralization is painfully difficult, yet still believes technology should make the world fairer.

This is not radicalism—it is clarity.

Not rebellion—but a quiet guardianship of the industry’s core.

The noise will continue. Narratives will rotate. Illusions will return.

But clarity will remain rare.

And because it is rare, it matters even more.

 

Source: https://www.me.news/contents/251407