The future of loyalty: From points to participation
I was invited to the Blockchain conference on a panel. Here are the key takeaways of our conversation.
What does loyalty mean in a decentralised world?
It’s a question that has followed every conversation about Web3 since the very beginning — and one that took center stage during the panel I recently moderated on Loyalty, Community, and Brand Engagement in Web3.
The session brought together four visionary voices shaping the future of culture, gaming, and digital economies:
Jordi Mompart, Head of AI & Blockchain Strategy at FC Barcelona
Sebastian Borget, Co-founder of The Sandbox
Robbie Yung, CEO of Investment at Animoca Brands
Diego Borgo, Brand Strategist and Advisor to Fortune 500 and Web3 companies
Together, we explored how technology, storytelling, and human behavior intersect to build the next generation of brand ecosystems.
Web3 has entered its foundation phase
If 2021 was the year of speculation, 2025 is the year of stability.
The conversation has shifted from hype to infrastructure — from if blockchain will transform industries to how it already is.
Stablecoins, wallets, and tokenization are no longer futuristic experiments; they’re becoming the invisible backbone of the digital economy.
As Robbie pointed out, this normalization is what allows builders to create new forms of value and trust on top of a reliable foundation.
From audience to co-creator
One of the most powerful ideas that emerged during the panel was this:
Loyalty in Web3 is not about retention — it’s about participation.
In the Web2 world, loyalty programs were built on rewards and repetition.
In the Web3 world, loyalty comes from ownership and contribution.
As Diego put it, “We’ve moved from consumers sitting passively to communities that co-create.”
When fans or users can shape the narrative, contribute ideas, or even share in the brand’s economic success, the relationship transforms from transactional to emotional.
The creator economy: A fairer model
The creator economy is estimated to be worth over $250 billion — projected to reach $700 billion in the next five years. Yet most creators still depend on Web2 platforms that keep disproportionate value.
Sebastian shared how blockchain and NFTs are rewriting this dynamic by allowing creators to truly own, monetize, and distribute their content across open ecosystems.
The Sandbox’s mission has been to empower anyone — from a gamer to a global brand — to participate in value creation without needing permission or intermediaries.
The result is not just an economic shift, but a cultural one: creators become entrepreneurs, and audiences become investors in their success.
Sports and Culture as catalysts
From a very different angle, Jordi’s perspective at FC Barcelona revealed how legacy institutions are reimagining their role in the digital economy.
With more than 500 million fans worldwide, Barcelona isn’t just a football club — it’s one of the largest content networks in the world.
But most of its fans will never visit the stadium or buy a ticket.
To bridge that distance, the club is exploring blockchain and AI as tools for new types of digital experiences: collectible moments, tokenized memberships, and AI-personalized engagement that feels both global and local.
In Jordi’s words, “Being global doesn’t mean offering the same to everyone.”
Branding in the age of decentralisation
While technology continues to evolve, the fundamentals of great branding haven’t changed — they’ve just adapted.
Diego shared a simple but powerful framework:
Positioning — Define a unique space no one else can own.
Big Idea — Turn that position into a simple story that travels.
Commercial Layer — Balance performance marketing (the 5%) with long-term brand building (the 95%).
As he reminded us, people don’t care about “zero-knowledge proofs” or “bridging protocols.” They care about how technology improves their lives — safety, identity, trust, belonging.
The next five years
Across all perspectives, one thing was clear: we are entering a phase of quiet radicalism.
A time when technology fades into the background, and experience becomes the true differentiator.
Everything will be tokenised — yet most users won’t even realise it.
Creators will make a living from their passions within small but powerful micro-communities.
Sports, gaming, and entertainment will continue to serve as bridges for mainstream adoption.
And AI will play an increasing role in personalisation, prediction, and creative co-production.
In short, the next era of loyalty will be more human, not less.
Final Thoughts
What unites all these perspectives is the recognition that loyalty can no longer be bought.
It must be earned — through transparency, shared value, and genuine collaboration.
As brands, platforms, and communities evolve, the most successful ones will be those that don’t just build technology, but build trust.
And perhaps that’s the ultimate promise of Web3:
Not just a new internet, but a new kind of relationship — between people, culture, and value.