since ico was booming in 2017 or the price of bitcoin reached ATH. In that year, most investors or companies began to be interested in taking part in it, precisely in 2018 about the adoption of crypto or many new companies began to develop their own projects through Blockchain technology. on the other hand I think the next big thing is that bitcoin immediately shows the exit value back, moreover bitcoin will be reduced by half.
Back in the day, ICOs were the biggest thing in crypto. Sadly, fierce regulations by worldwide governments have put an end to this exciting trend in the crypto space. Now, the next big thing in crypto seems to be atomic swaps, off-chain solutions, Bitcoin's halving event in May 2020, and Ethereum's hopeful transition from PoW to PoS. If all of these events take place at the same time, you'd expect prices to skyrocket like never before. The investment boom of 2017, would make a comeback this year. At least, everything in crypto land is a repetitive cycle. People are more often into crypto for money than anything else. Which means, that everyone will keep close watch of the newest developments in the crypto space to take advantage of them for their own financial gain.
With the ever-growing development of crypto and Blockchain technology, there will always be a "next big thing" in the space. Developers and everyday people will often abandon their coins in exchange for new ones. That's the way it works today. It's no wonder why most altcoins have turned out to become abandoned by their devs over time. Only Bitcoin and Ethereum provide true innovation in the crypto space.
Nonetheless, there are so many exciting things that will occur in crypto land this year. The halving, Ethereum's PoS upgrade, the launch of IEOs and STOs, and the widespread use of the Lightning Network will be the next big thing in crypto. Every year, new things happen in crypto land, so you'd need to pay close attention to its developments for your own benefit. Just my thoughts