2025 was the year crypto and digital assets matured, moving from regulatory clarity to what many have called a ‘stablecoin summer,’ alongside rapid institutional adoption of the asset class.

The passage of the GENIUS Act signalled a shift in how regulators and institutions engage with crypto, while Ethereum entering its tenth year served as a reminder of how far this ecosystem has come. Crypto is no longer fighting for legitimacy, instead institutional capital is flowing in, infrastructure is maturing, and mainstream audiences are paying attention. The challenge now is perception, and how clearly these technologies are understood will define the next decade.

At YAP Global, this changing landscape shaped many of the decisions we made throughout the year.

Our Team Offsite

Early in 2025, we came together as a team for our offsite at Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve in Kent. Stepping away from the pace of day-to-day work created space for honest conversations about culture, direction, and trust. Through a mix of workshops and team-building sessions, we spent time reflecting on how we work together, how we communicate, and how we want to grow as a team as YAP Global continues to evolve.

Outside of those sessions, there was time to slow down and connect in ways that are harder to replicate during the working week, whether that was walking the grounds, feeding giraffes, or simply spending time together away from our usual routines. Those moments mattered. They reinforced the importance of connection and trust as YAP Global continued to scale and build momentum as a team.

A Brand Refresh Rooted in Identity

That sense of alignment carried directly into our YAP Global Brand Refresh later in the year, which was deeply personal to me. Inspired by Peranakan tiles, the refreshed identity was a nod to heritage, craftsmanship, and layered storytelling. It reflected a period of reflection about who we are as an agency and what we want to stand for as we continue to scale.

As YAP Global has grown, I have become increasingly aware that clarity of identity is a leadership responsibility. The refresh was not about aesthetics alone, but about ensuring the way we show up reflects our values, our perspective, and the quality of work we aim to deliver in an increasingly crowded and noisy market.

Regional Expansion

With that clarity in place, 2025 became a year of regional expansion. We continued to grow our US hub in New York. Launching our Dubai hub felt like a natural next step in YAP Global’s journey, building on the foundations we had already laid across New York, London, and Singapore, and allowing us to be closer to the communities and conversations shaping the future of the digital asset industry.

As the Middle East continues to establish itself as a global centre for crypto, Web3 and emerging technology, being present on the ground mattered. It allowed us to better support our clients during key moments including Abu Dhabi Finance Week, while also being close to major global events like Solana Breakpoint. Expansion also meant relying more deeply on the team on the ground, something that has become increasingly important as we continue to grow as a global PR agency.

PR Partnerships & Conferences

This year, YAP Global had the privilege of serving as a PR partner for several key crypto and Web3 conferences around the world, supporting organisers, founders, and ecosystems at moments that mattered.

ETHDenver

ETHDenver remained one of the most community-driven events in the ecosystem, bringing together builders, developers, and protocol teams from across the world. The conference continued to highlight the strength of Ethereum’s grassroots community and the importance of culture alongside technical progress.

EthCC

EthCC once again served as a cornerstone event for the Ethereum ecosystem, gathering developers, founders, and thought leaders from across Europe and beyond. As Ethereum entered its second decade, conversations increasingly focused on scalability, rollups, and real-world adoption.

European Blockchain Convention (EBC)

The European Blockchain Convention continued to establish itself as a key European gathering for blockchain and digital asset professionals, with discussions spanning policy, enterprise adoption, and emerging use cases across the ecosystem.

Zebu Live

Zebu Live brought together leaders across Web3, fintech, and institutional finance, creating space for conversations around regulation, infrastructure, and the future of digital assets.

New Financial Frontier Dinners

Community and relationships remained central to YAP Global’s approach throughout the year. In 2025, we hosted Founder and Media Dinners alongside key industry moments, creating space for more meaningful conversations between founders, journalists, and industry leaders.

Earlier in the year, we hosted a Founder and Media Dinner in New York, bringing together founders and journalists in a more intimate setting and reinforcing the importance of trust-led, long-term relationships. Later, during Token2049 in Singapore, we continued that format, creating space for thoughtful conversations away from the noise of the conference floor.

These dinners reflected a simple belief. The strongest stories are built through genuine connection, not just coverage.

Growing the Team and Evolving Leadership

As YAP Global has grown, my role has continued to evolve alongside it. I have spoken openly this year about the idea that the behind-the-scenes CEO is no longer enough. A CEO’s voice is inseparable from strategy, and silence is rarely interpreted as strength. This belief also shaped the thinking we shared publicly this year in our Founder Mode Comms Whitepaper as a response to what we were seeing across the industry, where too many founders still assume their technology will speak for itself or that their voice can be fully outsourced. The leaders who break through are the ones willing to step forward and take ownership of their story. Many of the decisions we made in 2025, from how we show up publicly to how we build community, were rooted in this belief.Team growth was one of the most meaningful parts of the year. We welcomed new Yappers across regions, while existing team members stepped into larger roles with greater responsibility. Watching people grow into leadership has been both humbling and energising, and it has reinforced something I now hold firmly. My role is not to be the loudest voice in the room, but to create the conditions where others can speak with confidence and clarity.

Recognition for Our Work

As the industry continues to mature, it has been especially meaningful to see our work recognised beyond the crypto ecosystem itself. 

This year, I was honoured to receive PRCA nominations for Young Communicator of the Year and Public Affairs Woman of the Year. These nominations reflect how far crypto and Web3 communications have come, and the growing recognition that this industry now sits firmly within broader public, regulatory, and institutional conversations.

We were also proud to see our work recognised at the BeInCrypto x Wirex Women Awards. Debra Nita, our Associate Director and Head of Growth, won the award for Best PR and Communications Strategist. Watching Debra receive that recognition was a personal highlight of the year and a testament to the strength, leadership, and strategic depth within the YAP Global team. Alongside this, my nomination for Best Founder further underscored how meaningful that moment was and the journey we have been on as a team.

These moments of recognition are not something we take lightly. They reflect years of consistent work, belief in this industry, and a commitment to raising the standard of how crypto and Web3 are communicated. After eight years of building YAP Global, this recognition feels like a meaningful marker of progress, not just for the agency, but for the wider space we operate in.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Looking back, 2025 was not defined by a single milestone, but by a shift in how we operate and how we lead. It was a year of moving from momentum to meaning, from doing to enabling, and from building quickly to building with intention as we enter a new financial frontier as an industry. 

As we enter 2026, I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the stories we help shape and the leaders we support. The next decade of this industry will not be defined by technology alone, but by how clearly it is understood. At YAP Global, we will continue to believe that clarity is a competitive advantage, that trust is built through consistency, and that the most impactful growth is rooted in purpose. The refreshed vision for YAP Global is to be the go-to financial PR agency that continues to tell the story of the future of money. 

– Samantha Yap, Founder of YAP Global