After being on the verge of breaking into the financial mainstream for several years, cryptocurrencies finally appear poised to make a significant breakthrough.
Governments around the world are implementing new regulatory frameworks that will bring greater clarity to a sector that has generated much controversy since its emergence.
With that in mind, read on as we assess the impact crypto could have in 2026 and beyond.
Crypto and online gaming growing together in New Zealand
New Zealand is currently fine-tuning a new online betting framework in a bid to better control who can operate and how consumers are protected.
Internationally licensed platforms have traditionally catered to New Zealand players, which has caused the government to lose significant tax revenue.
Reputable online casinos featured on comparison platform Bettingtop10.co.nz offer Kiwi players the opportunity to play popular games such as blackjack and roulette.
The New Zealand government plans to bring this lucrative sector under its control, and crypto payments will play a key role in the revamped ecosystem.
Digital currencies allow gaming sites to process payments quickly and across borders. Depositing and withdrawing funds via crypto is much faster than traditional banking systems.
Immutable blockchain ledgers can also be used to prove that games and systems are fair, solving a problem that many gamers have on their minds.
New Zealand is firmly on track to set an example of how crypto and online gaming can co-exist under clearer rules.
Bitcoin and Ethereum become mainstream investment assets
Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) are not just for early adopters and tech enthusiasts. More and more people are investing in digital tokens as long-term assets.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has a massive Bitcoin stash, as do Tesla, Trump Media & Technology Group, and Strategy.
Large investment companies, pension funds, individuals and businesses can now purchase Bitcoin, making investing simpler and more traditional for those involved. Even casual investors are betting on Bitcoin, which is increasingly seen as digital gold.
Simultaneously, Bitcoin is undergoing several technical upgrades that will speed up the processing of everyday payments, without altering what makes it valuable.
Ethereum plays a different role in the ecosystem because it is not just a currency. ETH is more like an engine room that powers other crypto services. It powers applications for digital finance tools, online marketplaces and blockchain-based games.
ETH is now cheaper and faster to use thanks to recent improvements, while allowing users to earn rewards by locking up their coins to secure their network. Many people will no longer view ETH as a risky experiment but as digital infrastructure essential to the crypto ecosystem.
Wall Street analyst and president of BitMine Immersion Technologies, Tom Lee, estimates that ETH could climb to $9,000 per coin in early 2026, a potential 177% upside from its trading level.
Crypto is becoming easier to use thanks to better technology behind the scenes
One of the biggest changes in the crypto world is ease of use. Many people do not use crypto in their daily transactions because it can be quite complex to use.
However, developers are working to make blockchains faster, cheaper, and easier to connect to each other. This change is important because early cryptography systems proved slow, expensive, and confusing for novices.
Many transactions will no longer take place on the main blockchain but on secondary systems that piggyback on it, allowing ordinary people to move money or use apps with lower fees.
New technologies allow different blockchains to communicate with each other, so users are not limited to a single network.
Simply put, this means that people won’t care as much about which blockchain they use. They will just expect things to go smoothly, like every day on the Internet.
If Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other networks have specialized services, they can collectively form a user-friendly ecosystem that is less technical and more compatible with everyday use.
Stablecoins, which are becoming the backbone of digital currency, will make cryptocurrencies even more mineable as they are typically backed 1:1 by cash and cash equivalents.
Editor-in-Chief of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days sifting through a never-ending stream of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and overzealous correspondents. My job? Strip away the promotional nonsense, check what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside of the information filter bubble, I am all for quality sushi and raising funds for Ukraine’s continued fight against the modern-day axis of evil.
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