Thanks to blockchain technology, Web3 can connect data in a decentralized way instead of a centralized way like Web2, thereby giving full ownership and management of data to the user community, ensuring fairness and transparency. However, when it comes to Web3, things like blockchain, wallet, key, gas fee, node, RPC, blockchain explorer… become big challenges for mainstream adoption.
Therefore, Web2.5 was born as a convergence point of Web2 and Web3, aiming to combine the advantages of both centralized and decentralized systems. At the same time, it is a premise for moving towards the mass adoption of Web3.
What is Web2.5?
Web2.5 is an evolution of the Internet between Web2 and Web3, referring to the integration of decentralized blockchain technology into the existing Web2 infrastructure to create new opportunities and use cases. Web2.5 is expected to bridge the gap between the current state of the web (Web2) and its next stage of development (Web3).
Web2.5 provides users with the familiar interface and seamless user experience of Web2, while incorporating the security, privacy, and transparency benefits of Web3. This makes blockchain technology more user-friendly and accessible, accelerating the process towards mass adoption.

Web2 and Web3 Concepts
Web2: The Era of Content Creation
The Web2 generation appeared with the birth of tools such as Javascript, CSS… as a premise for the development of platforms such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter (now X)…
Compared to Web1 (which only allowed users to read content), Web2 allows users to create and share content publicly and interact with other content. Thanks to Web2, users in different countries can still interact with each other and access more information.
However, this leads to a disadvantage that users who want to use the services of Web2 platforms must provide their personal information and data. And the content that users create on the platform is not completely owned by them as developers can easily delete posts or lock users’ accounts.
Web3: Empowering Users
Web3 is a version created to solve the problems of Web2, by applying artificial intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) technology, blockchain technology…
With Web3, the power is given to the users, who are the owners of the information and intellectual property they create, ensuring that it cannot be tampered with or controlled by anyone. This also means that the information will be completely secure, thereby providing a more optimized and personalized experience for the users.
Why Web2.5 should be the next development trend of Web2?
Web3 brings many benefits to users and has many potential applications in the future, however, the widespread application of Web3 in practice is still a big challenge .
In the speech of Stephane Kasriel (Head of Commerce and Financial Technology of Meta) at the Money 20/20 Conference, he mentioned that users today often want to have a Web3 experience of ownership of personal information, data and content they create, but still feel hesitant about the complexity of having to create a crypto wallet , record seed phrases, find a secure storage solution… in the blockchain system.
Accordingly, blockchain is a fundamental component in the Web3 model, but is a completely new concept for Web2 users and creates a significant difference from this widely used centralized model.
In the Web2 model, users get an optimal, seamless, friendly, easy-to-use and easy-to-operate user experience. Especially for applications related to social networking platforms. According to Forbes’ statistical report ( here ), in 2023, it is estimated that there will be about 4.9 billion social network users worldwide. This number is equivalent to about 61% of the world’s population.
On the other hand, with such a huge demand, Web2 still makes people feel insecure because of the risk of personal information leakage . This is also one of the biggest disadvantages of Web2, when user data can be manipulated and controlled by third parties providing services.
For example, the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook lawsuit was reported in 2018 and will last until 2022, that Facebook (the most used social networking app in the world) allowed Cambridge Analytica (a British political consulting firm) to access the data of about 87 million users on the platform and use it for its own purposes.
Furthermore, Web2 giants such as Google, Meta, and Amazon have largely succeeded in dominating the digital world over the years, acting as intermediaries between users and content, and having the power to control, access, and monetize users’ information.
These things not only directly affect users’ personal rights, but also make them lose trust in social networking platforms in particular and the Web2 system in general.
From there, we saw the birth of Web2.5, which combines the user-friendly experience of Web2 with the transparency, decentralization, and user ownership of Web3. Marking a turning point in the evolution of the Internet from Web2 to Web3.
Features of Web2.5
Aiming to be the technological convergence point of Web2 and Web3, Web2.5 has four key features that enable more use cases and meet user needs. These include:
Blockchain technology: Information in the blockchain is arranged into blocks linked together by encryption algorithms, ensuring decentralization, security and immutability. Web2.5 uses blockchain technology to store user data, thereby eliminating the intervention of third parties.
Community Engagement: In Web2.5, users can interact with businesses more effectively, through blockchain-related applications, typically cryptocurrencies ( coins/tokens ). For example, businesses develop a reward system using coins/tokens or NFTs ( Non-Fungible Tokens ) to distribute to users when shopping and using services, allowing them to participate in more activities with businesses.
User Empowerment: Web2.5 allows users to have a higher level of control and ownership of their data and personal assets, reducing the control of intermediaries compared to traditional systems in Web2.
Business model fusion: In the Web2.5 era, existing business models in Web2 can be combined with innovative elements in Web3 such as virtual reality technology (AR and VR), artificial intelligence (AI)… thereby creating more applications and opportunities for users.
Distinguishing Web2, Web2.5 and Web3
Web2.5 is a significant step forward in the evolution of the Internet. But to appreciate its potential and practical applicability, it is necessary to understand the difference between Web2.5 and Web2 and Web3.
To visualize this, consider the comparison table below.
Web2.5 vs Web2
The first difference is about data ownership and control.
Web2 was popularized by the rise of social media, cloud computing, and mobile devices, helping to usher in a new era of user-generated content (UGC). However, this content is not owned by the user but controlled by the service provider, including their identity.
Building on the existing Web2 infrastructure, Web2.5 companies will use blockchain technology to focus more on improving data security, privacy, and transparency for users, thereby giving individuals more control and autonomy over their digital identities.
Another notable difference lies in the integration of AR and VR technology.
Compared with the conventional text-based communication of Web2, Web2.5 deploys AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) technology to develop innovative interactive applications, with more dynamic and realistic experiences, helping to reshape digital content interaction in the new era.

Web2.5 vs Web3
The first is decentralization.
The Web3 model is associated with the concept of decentralized web, thereby creating a digital space where data and applications are distributed based on a network of nodes, completely eliminating the participation of central agencies or third-party intermediaries.
In contrast, Web2.5 retains intermediaries (such as businesses) to ensure a certain level of centralization. Typically, for the implementation of virtual reality experiences such as AR and VR, it is necessary to rely on centralized servers and platforms for content distribution and interaction.
The second is blockchain technology.
Web3 focuses on leveraging the entire blockchain technology to bring trust, security and transparency across various fields, such as finance, supply chain, healthcare, identity management, etc. Accordingly, blockchain acts as a decentralized ledger to ensure the security and integrity of data and transactions in the system.
However, Web2.5 only applies blockchain technology to a certain extent, making blockchain more user-friendly and accessible while still maintaining some centralization for businesses and companies.
This approach allows users to gradually adapt to blockchain technology without feeling overwhelmed by its complexity, quite different from the completely decentralized approach witnessed in Web3.

Third is AI, ML and AR, VR technology.
Web3 applies advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to enhance user experience and provide intelligent data analysis capabilities. These AI and ML technologies allow applications in Web3 to understand, interpret and respond to user behavior and preferences. Thereby creating more user-friendly use cases.
On the other hand, Web2.5 only focuses on developing virtual reality technology such as AR and VR, while the application of AI and ML technology is still limited because the operating system is still centralized by the intermediary.
Fourth, and most importantly, is user experience.
In Web3, users have to interact with the blockchain themselves, or in other words, directly access blockchain technology. All operations related to creating a wallet, paying gas fees , signing transactions, etc. when using Web3 applications are performed by the user. These tasks require users to have knowledge about blockchain, invest time, effort and sometimes money to understand how it works and use it. This causes a complex, confusing and difficult-to-use experience for users.
However, in Web2.5, those tasks will be performed by businesses. Accordingly, users only need to interact with the application (integrated with blockchain technology) provided by the business, for example, creating an account and logging in with email/phone number, accumulating reward points in the form of tokens/NFTs…
Activities such as creating blockchain wallets and linking to user accounts, saving transaction information on the blockchain system, transferring cryptocurrencies, etc. will be handled by businesses. Thanks to that, Web2.5 users will have a more seamless, simple and friendly user experience than in Web3.
In short, while Web2.5 represents a significant step forward in user integration and personalization compared to Web2, Web3 offers a deeper innovation model, emphasizing on aspects of decentralization, blockchain, and the combination of advanced AI, ML technologies.
The core differences between Web2, Web2.5, and Web3 clarify the context of Internet development in each stage, while also bringing its own opportunities and challenges. The image above clearly shows the infrastructure differences between Web2, Web2.5, and Web3.
Web2.5 Examples
Imagine a Web2 business that offers some type of product or service and applies blockchain technology to its operating model. When a customer purchases a product or uses a service using fiat currency , they will:
Receive NFTs as rewards, discount vouchers.
Receive tokens as a form of membership points.
These NFTs and tokens will give customers perks when they shop in the future.
In this case, the business’s customers do not need to buy coins/tokens or create their own crypto wallets on the blockchain. Instead, the business will perform this process and integrate them into their applications and systems . At the same time, the one who pays the gas fee for the blockchain is also the business.
On your next purchase, NFT assets and tokens will give customers benefits such as:
Convert points in token form into fiat currency to deduct from payout.
Exclusive access to limited edition products.
Discount voucher.
Get a free gift with your product…
Thus, with this Web2.5 model, cryptocurrencies and blockchain can be used seamlessly within the fiat system that users are already familiar with. Furthermore, although blockchain is a key component of the system, users do not need to interact directly with the blockchain protocol , thereby eliminating the barriers that users face when using blockchain.
Potential applications of Web2.5 in practice
In the Web 2.5 era, businesses are exposed to many opportunities to innovate strategies and exploit the full potential of emerging technologies.
Cryptocurrency Wallet with Social Login Technology
In the Web3 space, creating a cryptocurrency wallet must go through many complicated and troublesome steps, requiring users to fully equip themselves with knowledge about blockchain technology and wallets before using them, including how they work, their roles and how to store public keys, private keys, seed phrases, etc.
Web2.5 helps solve that problem by reducing complexity and increasing user familiarity, with the solution of integrating Social Login technology into cryptocurrency wallet applications. In which, Social Login is a form of logging into an application using users’ social network accounts such as Facebook, Google, X (formerly Twitter)…
In the Web2.5 space, applying Social Login technology to crypto wallets means that users can create wallets on the blockchain using social media accounts, solving the Web3 problem of having to remember and enter private keys/seed phrases every time they access the wallet.
A prime example is Ramper Wallet , a cryptocurrency wallet developed by Ninety Eight and Ramper Labs.
Ramper Wallet allows creating and accessing cryptocurrency wallets through Facebook, Email, Apple ID accounts, and integrates many features and decentralized applications ( dApps ) to help access Web3 more conveniently and easily, while still ensuring high security for user assets.
Specifically, Ramper uses the OAuth protocol to apply for Social Login along with the RPMS security mechanism, in which:
OAuth is a protocol that allows users to authorize a third party to log in to their social network, without sharing their login information (username and password). The third party will then authenticate the information and allow the user to log in to Ramper.
RPMS (Restorative Performant Multi-encryption System) is a security mechanism that ensures that the user’s wallet passphrase/private key is not compromised. RMPS allows the user’s private key to be divided into two pieces, and encrypted on two different cloud platforms.
Overall, Ramper wallet focuses on simplicity, ease of use and user-friendliness, fulfilling the Web2.5 goal of bringing Web2 users to connect and familiarize with the Web3 space more quickly and conveniently .
Enterprises integrating blockchain technology
Businesses can integrate blockchain technology to enhance security, transparency and trust in transactions across a wide range of applications and sectors. These include:
Increase transparency in product tracking and verify authenticity in supply chain management.
Facilitate cross-border payments securely and quickly.
Verify the authenticity of digital assets and collectibles…
For example, the waste management platform Hoper was developed by IdeaSoft (a company that develops blockchain and fintech services for businesses).
Hoper is a platform that combines waste management with social media, designed to motivate communities to clean up excess waste around polluted spaces to create a safer environment.
By integrating with blockchain and tokenomics logic , the Hoper platform has a reward system based on the Hopercoin token. Accordingly, users in the community can receive rewards in the form of tokens in exchange for products and services provided by partners and investors on the platform.

Tokenization of assets
Tokenization refers to the process of encoding assets such as real estate, stocks, gold, etc. into digital tokens on the blockchain network .
Because tokens can be divided and traded on decentralized exchanges without the need for intermediaries like banks or brokers, tokenization in the context of Web2.5 has many practical implications with the potential to reshape the human digital experience.
Accordingly, tokenization helps give users real ownership and control over digital assets, while reducing dependence on centralized platforms. One of the most prominent and well-known use cases of asset tokenization today is NFT, for example:
Gaming : Users have the right to actually own in- game assets such as characters, weapons, land, houses… in the form of NFTs.
Digital Art: Artworks are tokenized into NFTs and auctioned on centralized Web2 platforms, allowing payments in cryptocurrency and requiring KYC .
Sports: Clubs and teams in the sports field from football, rugby, basketball to martial arts, racing… launch NFT collections to increase fan engagement, while providing them with privileges and rewards when owning NFTs. Some notable NFTs are NFL All Day, NBC Top Shot, UFC Strike, RaceDay…

In addition, a specific example is Sotheby’s, a famous auction house and art organization, which quickly joined Web2.5 to expand its user base, by allowing artists to auction NFTs on its platform. Sotheby’s facilitates users to pay with crypto assets such as BTC, ETH… through KYC wallets managed by Coinbase, Gemini, Fidelity or Paxos.
Sotheby’s is a prime example of a Web2.5 business, where traditional companies integrate crypto assets to attract fiat currency users, while still ensuring compliance with Web2 financial rules and standards.
Fintech
In the Fintech space, Web2.5 also brings many practical benefits, focusing on interoperability and enabling seamless integration of financial services across platforms and applications, helping to streamline processes such as cross-border payments and lending.
Furthermore, integrating blockchain into Fintech also facilitates asset traceability and transparency, while enabling automated asset issuance.
One of the most well-known names for successfully integrating blockchain into Fintech is the Securitize platform , which enables the issuance and trading of regulatory-compliant security tokens on the blockchain.
