In a recent video shared by Bitcoin.com News on X, MoonPay President Keith Grossman challenges the common perception of cryptocurrency. Far from being a speculative casino filled with meme coins and quick riches, Grossman argues that crypto is actually the invisible infrastructure powering the next era of the internet.

Rethinking Crypto: From Vertical to Horizontal

Grossman, who previously served as President of Time Magazine, draws a parallel between crypto and the early days of the internet. Most people, he says, mistakenly see crypto as a "vertical" like banking or entertainment. Instead, it's a "horizontal" platform—a foundational layer that integrates across every industry, much like digital technology did two decades ago.

When the internet emerged, skeptics dismissed it as a fad. But it didn't destroy industries; it rewired them. Newspapers turned into websites, CDs became streams, and physical stores evolved into apps. Crypto is doing the same, but for money, ownership, and value itself.

The Power of Tokenization

At the heart of this shift is tokenization. If something can be digitized, it can be tokenized—represented as a transferable, verifiable record of ownership on a blockchain. This isn't just theoretical; it's economic logic. Industries benefit from faster settlements, greater transparency, and better liquidity, making tokenization cheaper, safer, and more efficient.

Grossman points to real-world examples:

• BlackRock's tokenized treasury fund, which turns government bonds into instantly transferable digital assets.
• JPMorgan's Onyx platform, which has processed over $1 trillion in tokenized transactions—real banking on blockchain rails.
• Stablecoins settling more than $11 trillion annually, surpassing twice Visa's volume.

This is adoption in action, not hype.

Memecoins: Proof That Attention Is a Financial Asset

Even memecoins fit into this infrastructure narrative. Grossman highlights them as evidence that attention itself has become a financial asset. In the crypto ecosystem, memecoins demonstrate how viral ideas and community-driven value can be tokenized and traded, turning cultural phenomena into economic forces.

Alongside Bitcoin as "digital gold," stablecoins as programmable dollars, DeFi as self-running finance, and real-world assets as tokenized collateral, memecoins show the versatility of blockchain. It's all part of building a unified foundation for the future economy.

The Bigger Picture: Infrastructure in the Making

The current chaos in crypto—price swings, regulatory debates—mirrors the dot-com bubble. The internet didn't die; it rebuilt everything. Tokenization is doing the same for value. As Grossman puts it, crypto isn't a casino; it's the plumbing for the next economy.

The question isn't if crypto will replace the old system, but whether you'll understand the game once the upgrade is complete. For blockchain practitioners and meme token enthusiasts, this perspective underscores the long-term potential beyond short-term volatility.

For more insights, check out the original post on X. What are your thoughts on crypto as infrastructure? Share in the comments below!