Over the years in the crypto asset market, I have noticed a clear change: the old model of making money through luck and cycles is being replaced by more systematic strategies.

Remember the early days of the crypto world—buy any project at random, and when the market hype hits, it could multiply dozens of times. Simple and crude, all based on luck. But by 2026, this logic has already become invalid.

The most direct signal comes from changes in institutional behavior. Looking at quarterly reports from major asset management firms reveals that the driving force behind Bitcoin and Ethereum allocations has shifted from the supply side of miners to the demand side of institutions. When giants like BlackRock and Fidelity start allocating Bitcoin to clients quarterly, the once every four-year halving cycle is no longer a decisive market factor. The game has completely changed.

**Where are the current ways to make money?**

It’s indeed more challenging than before, but the logic is actually clearer. Here are some mainstream methods I’ve summarized:

**Holding Coins for Appreciation and Spot Allocation**

This is fundamental, but the approach has upgraded. Just "holding" is no longer smart enough. For mainstream assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, long-term holding remains a core strategy, but it must be flexibly adjusted according to market rhythm, rather than blindly going all-in.

**Staking for Yield and Liquidity Mining**

Staking yields on PoS chains like ETH and SOL are usually between 5% and 15%. More importantly, the emergence of liquid staking—where you can convert staking yield rights into LST tokens—allows these LSTs to continue earning in DeFi, instantly improving capital efficiency. It’s like money working multiple jobs at once.

This is the way to think about making money now.