12 Predictions for Crypto in 2026
More chains from last cycle will continue to bleed out, but one will emerge with a successful pivot.
2026 Predictions
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More chains from last cycle will continue to bleed out, but one will emerge with a successful pivot (cosmos/polkadot/algorand/avalanche/polygon)
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A handful of Alt L1's who tried to compete with Solana will transition to becoming EVM L2's and still won't find real pmf.
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Aave will expand to Solana
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Retail crypto payments will be completely taken over (currently basically non-existent anyway) by Arc/Circle or Square/Tempo. Major credit cards like Visa/Mastercard will allow payments to be made in stables (USDC) as well.
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The big banks in the USA will issue their own stablecoins, all causing fragmentation and confusion for retail consumers.
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Custom branded stablecoins for companies will replace points systems within loyalty programs. You will gain rewards by holding their stablecoin instead.
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Zcash will implement Crosslink, opening up a hybrid POW/POS system and provide more options for $ZEC onchain to stake, borrow/lend.
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Privacy will continue to be a big trend, and @solana will be the first to really implement usable default options within DeFi and wallets.
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The market structure bill will face some hiccups, but pass in Feb.
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Alts will recover a little, but more from rising tides. They won't get back to December 2024 levels, but some will 2-5x from here. Most of us will bag hold them and miss selling.
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Too many perps dex's and prediction markets will launch, with most never getting pmf. One new perps dex will stand out on Solana.
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More crypto mullets will emerge with blockchain under the hood, but will look like a web2 apps that most people don't realize or need to know has anything to do with crypto.
Price predictions:
$BTC breaks $165k (possible flush out down to $65k before this can happen)
$ETH breaks $5k
$SOL breaks $400
$ZCASH breaks $1k
$HYPE touches $70 but stalls
$BNB breaks $1500.
