As we close out 2025, Hedera Hashgraph seems almost unrecognizable from what it was this time last year,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to ride the wave of hype in the crypto-world, Hedera Hashgraph has been proudly working on their technology that has a use case in the real world today.
That steady approach started to show results. Hedera climbed into the top 25 cryptocurrencies by market cap and earned a stronger reputation as a network built for enterprises, not speculation.
A big part of what sets Hedera apart is how it reaches consensus. Rather than using a traditional blockchain, it runs on a hashgraph model built on a DAG structure with asynchronous
Byzantine Fault Tolerance. In plain language, that allows transactions to move quickly, settle almost instantly, and stay secure at scale.
In 2025, those strengths began to matter a lot more. As institutions looked for networks that could handle real workloads instead of test cases, Hedera started to stand out for the right reasons.
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Finance and RWAs Became a Major Focus
One of the biggest developments for Hedera this year came from finance and real-world assets.
Australia’s AUDD stablecoin launched on Hedera, becoming the country’s first native stablecoin built with the network’s Stablecoin Studio. USDC also expanded its presence, helping grow both payments and DeFi activity on the network.
Real-world asset tokenization picked up serious momentum as well. Red Swan used Hedera to tokenize more than $5 billion in commercial real estate, opening up fractional ownership opportunities.
Diamond Standard brought tokenized diamond portfolios on-chain, while Archax partnered with Lloyds and Aberdeen to explore tokenized securities and money market funds.
Banks like Shinhan and Standard Bank also tested cross-border stablecoin payments using Hedera’s Token Service, a strong signal of growing institutional confidence.
Carbon Tracking, AI, and Data Use Cases Expanded
Hedera’s reach went well beyond finance in 2025. In carbon markets, projects like B4E used Hedera’s Guardian system to track emissions with AI forecasting, while Hyundai and Kia integrated carbon transparency tools built on the network. DOVU OS also expanded its climate data platform, adding another practical use case.
AI and data management became another important theme. Hedera worked with Equity Labs on verifiable AI governance, while Nvidia and Intel used the network for verifiable compute tied to Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture.
That allowed for hardware-level auditing of AI processes. On top of that, Earth ID and integrations through Neuron and Chainlink highlighted Hedera’s growing role as a trust layer for identity, IoT, and data integrity.
HBAR Price Action and Looking Ahead to 2026
From a market perspective, 2025 wasn’t easy. HBAR didn’t have an easy year on the price front.
The token dropped about 71% from its highs, which led some long-term holders to start dollar-cost averaging again, especially in the $0.08 to $0.10 range. It wasn’t an easy move, but for many, it made sense given the bigger picture.
This correction saw most market observers focus on fundamental analysis. Why? The expectation depends upon a series of long-range estimates pegged to Fibonacci benchmarks around $0.80, $1.40, or even above $2.00 once you consider the bigger market cycle.
Looking to 2026, everyone has their eyes pinned on what’s going to happen. Real-world asset tokenization, cross-border payments, AI governance, and carbon markets each should see expansion this year, and that simply keeps Polkadot in the limelight.
As adoption grows and use cases mature, the price action could start to look more stable, similar to what’s expected from other institution-heavy networks like XRP and Ethereum.
Read Also: Hedera (HBAR) Institutional Year Was Not Normal: Why This Could Matter in 2026
Why 2026 Could Be a Pivotal Year for Hedera
The key takeaway from 2025 is that Hedera has moved beyond the tinkering phase. Real-world applications are live; institutions are actively building on this network, and regulators are beginning to give clearer guidance.
It’s on a tear; if this momentum keeps up, 2026 may very well be the year Hedera cements its status as core backbone for finance, data, and AI infrastructure at scale.
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