6 crypto predictions for 2026, according to analysts

Analysts expect the stablecoin market to balloon, an "ETF palooza," and legal bets on "essentially anything"

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Despite ending the year somewhat anticlimactically, 2025 marked an inflection point for the cryptocurrency industry.  

Drunk on President Donald Trump's promise to make the United States the “crypto capital of the world,” Bitcoin rose over 65% during the 12 months following the 2024 elections.

Recently, however, concerns about a possible stock market bubble have led investors to de-risk. Bitcoin has shed more than a quarter of its value in just two months, trading 13% lower year-to-date. But, unlike previous bear markets, this time the industry's survival isn't on the line. After more than a decade of boom-and-bust cycles, scandals, and regulatory crackdowns, crypto is moving past the fringe and settling into a new phase: institutional integration. 

"With a warm and welcoming regulatory environment, massive de-enforcement of rules that do exist, and a seeming willingness to pardon anyone for any financial crime, it's a great time to be either an innovator or a charlatan," says Dave Nadig, ETF.com president and director of research.

Here is what to expect for crypto in 2026, according to analysts.

Expect "CLARITY"

The White House crypto czar, David Sacks, indicated in an X post last week that the Senate will vote on the

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