The Next Phase of Digital Asset Trading Automation

Global trading infrastructure is undergoing a structural transformation. Liquidity now flows across centralized and decentralized exchanges, while execution technology is moving from isolated systems toward unified, transparent, non-custodial environments where automation and control work together.

Institutional Adoption and Market Shift

By the end of 2025, institutional participation in digital assets has become a fact rather than a forecast. According to a joint survey by PwC and the Alternative Investment Management Association, 55 percent of hedge funds now hold crypto in their portfolios, up from 47 percent a year earlier. The average allocation stands near 7 percent of assets under management, with most funds maintaining a smaller exposure but remaining active in the market.

At the same time, decentralized exchanges have reached record volumes. In May 2025, total DEX trading volume climbed to about 474 billion dollars, representing roughly 25 percent of the global crypto spot market. Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain together account for nearly 87 percent of this activity. Derivatives on decentralized venues also continued to expand, reflecting the growing demand for transparent and automated on-chain execution.

A separate institutional survey by Coinbase and EY-Parthenon found that 83 percent of professional investors plan to further increase their crypto allocations in 2026. The data confirms that digital assets are now a strategic component of institutional portfolios rather than an experimental allocation.

The Mid-Market Gap

Trading technology remains polarized. Institutional OEMS and EMS platforms are powerful but expensive, often requiring custodial setups and complex integrations. Retail bots, while accessible, are limited to single-venue strategies and lack the transparency and flexibility needed for professional execution.

Between these extremes lies a growing mid-market segment. Active traders, smaller funds, and professional individuals managing more than 500 thousand dollars now require institutional-grade precision with lower operational barriers. The rise of DEX derivatives, cross-exchange liquidity, and the shift toward transparent, auditable automation make this need increasingly urgent.

Economics of Automation

The global market for institutional trading technology is valued at around 7 billion dollars in 2025 and could reach 10 billion by 2033, expanding at an average annual rate of about 11 percent. Within this landscape, the crypto execution and automation segment is growing faster than any other category. Analysts estimate its size at 1.7 billion dollars in 2025, with a trajectory toward 6.5 billion by the early 2030s, driven by the normalization of automation for digital-asset strategies.

A notable shift in business models is already visible. Instead of relying on licenses or subscriptions, modern trading infrastructure increasingly monetizes through traded volume. Liquidity becomes the revenue driver, creating alignment between platforms, traders, and liquidity providers.

Why the Timing Matters

The timing of this structural change is not accidental. Market conditions, technology, and behavior are all aligned.

1. Market maturity. Decentralized venues now meet institutional standards of depth and reliability.
   
   

2. Technology readiness. Cloud-native and low-code architectures allow real-time strategy modification without downtime.
   
   

3. Regulatory progress. More jurisdictions distinguish between custodial and non-custodial operations, supporting API-based compliance.
   
   

4. Behavioral shift. Traders expect live visibility and granular control of execution, a level of transparency older systems were never built to deliver.

Together, these factors form a clear inflection point where digital asset infrastructure moves from experimentation to adoption.

From Closed Systems to Open Orchestration

Trading infrastructure is evolving toward open orchestration. Centralized and decentralized venues are gradually merging into a single, connected ecosystem. Execution is no longer just about placing orders. It is about coordinating liquidity, automation, and analytics across multiple environments while keeping custody in the hands of the user.

This shift creates a more efficient and transparent market structure. Efficiency grows with liquidity, and control remains with those who trade. Automation becomes not a tool for convenience but a structural layer of the financial system.

Outlook

The automation of digital asset trading is now part of the market’s foundation. The winners in this next phase will be the systems that combine transparency, non-custodial architecture, and adaptability across venues. As institutional participation expands and DEX infrastructure matures, trading is moving beyond isolated execution toward continuous orchestration and a unified environment where liquidity, data, and strategy operate in real time.