Ready For The DePIN 100? Meet Verified 2.0 ⚖️

Admit it.

2025 is almost over, and yet one of the most-searched phrases on Google about crypto is still how to tell if a project is legit.

That’s even after more than a decade of innovation, billions in market cap, and enough buzzwords to fill an encyclopedia.

And honestly? There’s no one to blame.

Because why is crypto so damn hard to predict?

It’s probably all those vibes without the metrics. Maybe because, even in the big ‘25, most tokens are still pegged to pure speculation.

But hey — that’s exactly why DePIN’s the gasp of fresh air for crypto. DePIN’s value is anchored in something tangible: infrastructure that has to work.

And that’s why our Verified program exists: to shine a light on those ever-so-important, and often overlooked, FUNDAMENTALS.

In a space that moves as fast as crypto, especially DePIN, the hard part isn’t finding opportunities. It’s knowing which ones actually make sense.

Projects launch daily, some promising global coverage, others claiming thousands of active nodes. But between ambition and execution, there’s often no easy way to tell who’s truly building out there, without hours upon hours of research.

In our last issue, we walked you through some of the biggest headlines in the industry: the SEC officially clearing DePIN tokens and a surge of capital flowing into real-world networks.

Regulation and public sentiment are converging on the same realization: DePIN is the future of real value creation.

Now, if DePIN is going mainstream, then credibility can’t be left to gut feeling or follower counts.

It needs a system. A logic. A way to verify what’s real, measurable, and sustainable.

That’s where Verified Projects — and soon, Verified 2.0 — will come in.

In this blog, you’ll be reading about:

• Our new Verified Projects 2.0, now upgraded to serve you — and the entire DePIN ecosystem — better than ever.
• What features Verified 2.0 will come with, including the new trust ladder (Purple and Gold tiers), the Verified Partner Network, and the roadmap to the future DePIN 100.
• Why this matters to both projects and the community, and how Verified creates a flywheel that helps everyone in the space grow in the right direction.
• How traditional finance built its trust systems — and how DePIN is finally getting its own version of that proof!

Pause. Why Does Verification Even Matter in DePIN?

If the last cycle was about proving that decentralized infrastructure can work, this one is about proving which of them actually do.

The numbers speak for themselves. Messari’s 2025 DePIN Update lists the DePIN sector at over $50 billion in market cap in 2024 and projects a rise to as much as $3.5 trillion by 2028.

There are millions of devices in motion every day. So while the excitement (the momentum!) is real, this growth can come at a cost.

For every credible network deploying real devices, dozens more claim progress without evidence. Token models can look good on paper, but physical rollout data? Operational uptime? Revenue traction? Those details are often scattered across Discord chats and half-written whitepapers. 😅

As capital floods in and institutions start taking infrastructure seriously, they won’t just ask “Does it exist?” — they ask “How much? How reliable? How sustainable?”

And to be fair… every new wave of technology eventually hits this wall.

In DeFi, we saw it when platforms like L2Beat and the EEA stepped in with open frameworks for assessing risk. In traditional finance, credit agencies and benchmarks like the S&P 500 emerged for the same reason.

When a market matures, it needs shared definitions of quality. Without them, you can’t separate innovation from illusion.

DePIN is reaching that stage right now. And the challenge has become HOW we can standardize the proof that it’s scaling responsibly.

Good ideas aren’t enough. Infrastructure investors want to back systems they can evaluate and trust.

That’s what Verified Projects set out to do. We built a framework that combined on-chain transparency with off-chain diligence, testing DePINs against eight critical categories.

It wasn’t just about saying who was “good”; it was about defining what “good” means for DePIN!

And it worked. We have 16 Verified DePINs to this day. Verified quickly became a reference point for builders and analysts. Projects like Helium and GEODNET became case studies for what legitimate DePINs look like when they align technical performance with the right token incentives and community trust.

But as DePIN matures, so does the conversation around legitimacy. A static badge was a good start, but not a full picture.

The industry needed a living system, one that could track progress. Not just record it.

That’s the gap Verified 2.0 is designed to fill.

Why Verification Matters to the Community. To You.

For everyday DePIN enthusiasts, the problem isn’t access. It’s noise.

There’s more information than ever, but less clarity than ever. You can scroll through X, Discord or Telegram and see hundreds of “new network” announcements every week. Some are serious, most are hopeful, and a few are straight-up vaporware. 😮‍💨

And without reliable standards, they all look the same.

Verified 2.0 will be about making discovery smarter.

When you open DePIN Hub and see a Verified badge, you’re not being told what to think; you’re being given context — the same kind of structured data that real-life professional analysts and funds rely on to make sense of emerging sectors.

And hey! It’s not just us noticing the need for this kind of clarity.

Reports like The Block Research’s The DePIN Report 2025 show that the sector is shifting from hype to fundamentals, where transparency matters more than token launches alone.

Meanwhile, developer-activity data from Electric Capital’s 2024 Developer Report points to a different story: networks with steady, visible code contributions outperform speculative ones over time. Developer engagement is now the leading indicator for sustainable projects.

Together, those insights tell us something obvious but powerful: signal beats sentiment.

We want Verified Projects to let YOU — whether you’re a deployer or simply a curious reader — move from curiosity to conviction.

Why Verification Matters to Projects

On the other hand, for builders, credibility is currency! 💵

A good idea can get you followers. But good data gets you partnerships, capital, and users.

That’s been the consistent pattern in Web3 infrastructure: open projects win.

In the early DeFi era, transparent teams publishing real metrics attracted liquidity faster than those hiding behind token tickers.

The same is happening in DePIN. Investors and enterprises want proof of deployment and teams that communicate milestones clearly… not marketing slogans.

Verification for projects is a framework that translates transparency into traction.

The original Verified 1.0 already created a neutral ground for this. A project could apply, open its books, and earn a badge that meant it met a baseline of operational maturity. This is similar to how the EEA’s DeFi Risk Framework became a signaling layer for DeFi protocols.

With Verified 2.0, we plan to introduce the idea of a trust ladder.

Two tiers: Purple and Gold.

• Purple marks projects that are early, but promising — transparent about what they’re building and open to ongoing evaluation. Think of projects like URNetwork, where the mission is clear and execution is visible even at an early stage.
• Gold, on the other hand, is reserved for projects with proven traction — networks already deployed, with measurable usage and mature economics. This is where heavyweights like Helium or GEODNET sit: operating and sustaining their models long-term.

But don’t get us wrong! It’s not a hierarchy, but a timeline!

Projects can move up, stay where they are, or fall off — depending on performance and transparency.

That’s what makes it a credit system for trust rather than a one-time endorsement.

In traditional finance, credit ratings allowed capital to flow efficiently by making risk legible. Verified 2.0 aims to do the same for DePIN: to help investors, collaborators, and communities understand which projects are ready for scale and which are still finding their footing.

It’s a structure that benefits everyone:

• Builders earn recognition backed by a credible standard.
• Communities get confidence that their time and energy go to real networks.
• Analysts and funds get a common reference point to discuss maturity and impact.

Verified isn’t just about labeling the good projects; it’s about lifting the entire ecosystem.

Every evaluation we publish and every badge we award kicks off a flywheel that helps DePIN mature in the right direction.

The projects that don’t yet qualify now have a framework to strive for — and know that transparency is what gets rewarded.

It’s how standards turn into self-improvement, and how the entire sector grows up together.

What You Can Look Forward To

Okay. We’ve gone over why verification matters.

Now let’s talk about what it actually looks like in practice.

Through Verified 2.0, we want to give you a smarter — broader — more useful system, and serve an industry that’s outgrown static checklists.

And as physical infrastructure converges with AI systems, Verified’s framework will naturally expand with it. Because what started as a DePIN standard may soon define the next era of decentralized AI infrastructure, too.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s coming.

1. Purple and Gold Verification

Verification is no longer one-size-fits-all.

With 2.0, we’re introducing two new tiers that recognize progress at every stage of a project’s journey, from ambitious startups to blue-chip networks powering millions in infrastructure.

🟣 Purple Verification (Starter)

Perfect for early-stage projects that are already proving themselves in the field, even if they’re still pre-token or pre-scale.

Purple Verification is proof that your foundations are solid: the hardware works, and the direction is real.

It comes with all the essentials to grow faster:

• A complete credibility assessment
• Verified badge
• Enhanced visibility across DePIN Hub
• Exposure to over 200,000 engaged users; and
• A month of promotional placement on our Earn! Network

Purple is for the builders in motion. The ones who may be small, but are already signaling something special!

🟡 Gold Verification (Blue-Chip)

Gold is the next level. It’s recognition for DePINs that have crossed from building to scaling.

It includes everything from Purple, PLUS a full marketing suite:

• Deep-dive research features
• Ad placements
• Tutorial videos
• Newsletter sponsorships; and
• Verified X Spaces!

We’re here to put your story directly in front of real DePIN audiences online!

Gold is credibility AND amplification rolled into one. It’s how mature projects step into the spotlight, and how the rest of the industry spots them first.

Together, these tiers form what we call the Trust Ladder.

It’s the foundation of the Verified 100 vision, a living index that captures both emerging and established projects, reflecting where the entire DePIN ecosystem really stands.

2. The Verified Partner Network

Verification doesn’t stop at the badge.

Behind it sits the Verified Partner Network — a growing circle of vetted companies that specialize in the services we intentionally don’t provide, from token liquidity and market support to audits, fulfillment and storytelling!

Verified projects get exclusive access and discounted rates to these partners, plus personal introductions when the fit makes sense.

It’s an ecosystem of trusted experts built around one simple goal: helping good DePINs grow faster, safer, and smarter.

3. Expanding Beyond DePIN Hub

We’re also laying the groundwork to make the Verified badge recognizable far beyond our platform.

This starts with partnerships like SEA DePIN, which will help promote verified projects across the rapidly expanding Asia ecosystem.

Over time, these efforts will extend to global PR and media channels, pushing the Verified standard into mainstream visibility and giving projects broader reach across investors and conferences.

Credibility shouldn’t stay in one corner of the internet. It should follow you wherever you build.

Come Build Verified 2.0 With Us!

Everything you’ve just read is in motion.

But it’s still evolving, and we want your fingerprints on it.

Projects, are you ready to get your own verification started? Learn more about our process and apply directly at https://depinhub.io/verified.

For our community, tell us what trust means to you. Join the conversation on Discord and help shape how Verified 2.0 measures real-world impact.

Together, we’ll make Verified 2.0 more than a framework; we’ll make it the system that defines trust across the entire DePIN movement!