Crucial Bitcoin Milestones for 2026

​Hougan cited the first hurdle as avoiding the kind of industry-wide event that occurred on the 10th of October, 2025, when the market saw the largest liquidation in crypto history. In about 24 hours, nearly $19 billion worth of crypto in futures positions were liquidated.

Unsurprisingly, the event caused quite the ruckus in the market as investors and platforms alike considered how this might affect major market players. According to Hougan, some people were worried that major platforms might have to close down, negatively affecting the market if they are required to sell assets.

As the crypto industry continuously expands, with old platforms adjusting market offerings to adjust to the times, and new platforms like a no kyc crypto exchange solving specific problems concerning user privacy and anonymity, this fear seemed valid. However, none of this happened. Hougan wrote on the blog that, while there’s little to no guarantee, any platform that would require suspending operations would have already done so by the end of 2025.

The next hurdle Hougan highlights is the CLARITY Act, which is sitting with Congress at the moment. While there are still rough edges to straighten, such as regulating the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, stablecoin specifics, as well as potential conflicts of interest in the political sphere, the bill will significantly boost the crypto sector if passed. According to Hougan, passing the bill is important for the sector so that the rules outlive the current administration. The CIO states that the absence of concise legislation means that agencies like the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could suspend their “current pro-crypto regulatory tilt.”

The blog post also mentions the stability of the equity market as an important hurdle. According to him, the equity market needs to remain stable because a crash in the S&P 500, for instance, could affect all risky assets, including crypto. This, Hougan says, remains true even though the correlation between the stock and crypto markets isn’t high.

Bitcoin Market For The Bulls This Year

The publication goes on to predict a strong momentum for crypto in 2026 if the above milestones are met, with the first one already achieved. Hougan states that the current crypto market is in a good place because of improvements such as real-world use cases for cryptocurrencies and rising adoption, especially among institutions, all of which could expand with supportive regulation.

The US Senate has set January 15 for a markup on the CLARITY Act. This stage involves committee review, amendment proposals that may include rewriting sections and adding provisions, as well as negotiations over drafts and jurisdictional specifics. The markup stage also includes voting on amendments and on reporting the bill, after which it will proceed to the full Senate for further debate and a floor vote.