Key insights from leading institutions

A growing number of reports outline expectations for the crypto industry in 2026. This section distills the key points from these reports in order to assess what structural changes could define the year ahead.

• Bitcoin: BTC adoption will grow as ETFs and DAT-based structures increase Bitcoin’s institutional utility.

• Privacy: Privacy technologies will become essential infrastructure to protect institutional business activities.

• AI Agents: Verifiable frameworks will be essential as AI-to-AI transactions evolve.

• Stablecoin: Stablecoins will be more widely used in payments, settlements and payroll beyond trading.

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Reports on major institutions’ outlook for 2026 converge on a common message: the narrative phase is fading and an execution-driven phase is taking shape.

This report analyzes the 2026 outlook of six major institutions to identify key drivers of structural change in the crypto industry and extract key themes that investors and builders should prioritize.

1. Institutional capital will be focused on Bitcoin, with no significant spillover into the broader market.

2. Projects unable to generate sustainable revenue will exit the industry.

3. Utility-driven token models have failed; buybacks will dominate capital return strategies.

4. Opportunities for mergers and acquisitions between crypto projects will increase.

5. The convergence of robotics and cryptography will enable a new form of gig economy.

6. Media companies will embrace prediction markets to develop new revenue streams.

7. Traditional financial institutions will lead the RWA sector through proprietary blockchain deployments.

8. The launch of Ethereum staking ETFs will reignite interest in BTCFi.

9. Fintech platforms, rather than exchanges, will become the primary routes into crypto.

10. Institutional participation will make privacy technologies a structural requirement.

1. Crypto must function as a real means of payment, not just a technology stack.

2. Bitcoin will maintain its strength by absorbing the monetary premium and store of value role of gold.

3. Macroeconomic conditions will trump halving cycles in Bitcoin price action.

4. Quantum computing is not an immediate risk but a long-term challenge.

5. L1 channels without real users or economic activity will disappear.

6. Ethereum is expected to exhibit higher volatility than Bitcoin.

7. Ethereum-based DAT strategies will help mitigate significant downside risk.

8. Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies will emerge as alternatives to surveillance systems.

1. Increased US liquidity will support higher Bitcoin valuations.

2. Institutional flows will drive a sustained upward trend in Bitcoin.

3. Stablecoins will become essential infrastructure for global payments.

4. Identity verification will be essential in AI agent ecosystems.

5. Ethereum combined with L2s will enable faster and cheaper settlement.

6. Stablecoins will serve as a bridge between traditional finance and on-chain systems.

7. The crypto super-app narrative will continue to grow.

1. Stablecoin on- and off-ramps will continue to mature.

2. RWA tokenization and stablecoins will be redefined from a crypto-native perspective.

3. On-chain lending will reduce inefficiencies and structural costs.

4. Once legal frameworks are aligned with technical realities, the full potential of blockchain will be unleashed.

5. AI agent settlement networks will evolve into independent financial systems.

6. Privacy technologies will be essential to protect institutional transaction data.

7. KYC will show its limits, while Know Your Agent (KYA) appears to be a new standard.

8. The Internet will increasingly evolve into a banking infrastructure.

1. Stablecoins will be used for daily settlement, including payments and payroll.

2. The blockchain infrastructure will serve as a base layer for AI agent activity.

3. Only projects with verifiable revenue and user adoption will survive.

4. The crypto industry will move from speculation to integration with the real economy.

1. Institutional flows will support Bitcoin’s long-term appreciation.

2. Financial models built around Bitcoin will continue to develop.

3. Stablecoins will form a large-scale industry focused on payments and settlement.

4. Regulatory advancements will formalize crypto’s status as a recognized financial asset.

5. Privacy technologies will become essential to safeguarding institutional capital.

In 2026, the crypto market enters a phase focused on proving its practical value through direct engagement with traditional industries. Earlier stories focused largely on retail participation and speculative themes. This focus is now shifting toward institutional adoption and real-world integration.

In several reports, Bitcoin, privacy and stablecoins appear as common focal points, each closely linked to institutional involvement. Bitcoin has largely become a regulated financial asset. Privacy technologies are increasingly seen as essential tools for businesses to transact with confidence. Stablecoins extend beyond everyday payments, integrating with traditional financial systems and expanding their functional scope. AI agents are also expected to evolve not as a standalone sector, but as practical components supporting existing AI industries.

Taken together, these outlooks suggest that 2026 will be shaped by an institutionally driven market structure. This does not imply the disappearance of retail-driven speculation. Instead, the market is likely to split into two distinct areas: one focused on utility and execution, the other on speculation.

As expected, aligned institutions and projects will prioritize regulatory compliance and the development of verifiable revenue models. At the same time, a speculative ecosystem built around the volatility inherent in cryptocurrencies will continue to operate. This persistence reflects crypto’s origins in opposition to established systems and its speculative philosophy, which has since evolved into an enduring cultural force, particularly among younger participants.

Culture does not disappear easily. As a result, 2026 will likely mark the start of a divided market, where institutional integration and speculative activity will follow separate paths. Investors and builders will need to clearly understand what set of rules they are operating under and design strategies aligned with the market in which they choose to participate.

Read more reports related to this research.

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