Editorial staff
2025 has been a year of notable developments for digital currencies, even though the market has struggled quite a bit at times. We’ve seen crypto press forward on the path to mainstream adoption, with advancements in several key areas, including institutional participation, the tokenization of real-world assets, and the establishment of clearer and friendlier crypto regulations (e.g, the passage of the GENIUS Act in the U.S). But we’ve also witnessed less pleasant events, like the collapse of many new tokens or the usual volatility and corrections that kept traders and investors on their toes.
With crypto being quite the mystery box, people have plenty of questions about what lies ahead, from how the ETH/BTC pair might evolve to the possibility of a new bull market or which coins may be worth considering for investment. While it’s difficult (if not downright impossible) to provide precise answers to any of these questions, this hasn’t deterred analysts from putting forward their predictions, so let’s see what the crypto gods might have in store for 2026.
The rise of stablecoins
Stablecoins represent a specific crypto subset designed to maintain more stable prices (hence the name). To achieve that stability, they are attached to other more liquid assets, such as fiat currencies or gold, through smart contracts that keep a balance between the stablecoins’ supply and that of the assets that back them. This makes them a more tempting option for traders and investors who want to gain crypto exposure but have a lower risk tolerance and aren’t comfortable with investing in coins that are highly volatile.
So far, stablecoins have been a rather discreet presence in the crypto space, being mostly found on exchanges and used for trading and settlements. Given the benefits they provide, experts believe that stablecoins will experience an upsurge in popularity in the months to come, which will likely increase their integration into traditional finance. This trend is supported by the wider acceptance that digital currencies at large have been enjoying recently. Established cryptocurrencies have already won over companies and financial institutions, so it’s only natural for stablecoins like USDC and USDT to follow suit.
New price highs for major coins
Pundits also agree that there won’t be any notable changes at the higher echelons of the crypto market. It comes as no surprise that giants Bitcoin and Ethereum are expected to continue their dominance unbothered, since that’s been the status quo ever since their emergence. As for the rest of the top currencies, the lack of serious competition indicates that the standings will most probably stay the same for the foreseeable future.
The only thing that might turn a few heads will be the ongoing appreciation of major coins, as experts forecast new all-time highs for the leading assets. According to Bernstein analysts, Bitcoin might rise as high as $200,000, fueled by inflows into BTC-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Others have cast more modest predictions. For instance, on-chain analytics from CoinDex estimate that the original crypto might continue trading in the $80K to $100K price range, with an average value around $95K. Time will tell which of these projections comes closer to reality.
Supportive regulations driving further adoption
Regulators have been making efforts to clarify crypto’s legal status and build a comprehensive and bespoke regulatory framework for digital assets for quite a while now. This endeavor has proven more challenging than anticipated due to crypto being unlike any other asset class we’ve known so far. Digital currencies operate differently from their conventional counterparts, so the rules and standards that apply to traditional assets are not always applicable to crypto.
This regulatory incompatibility has been one of the main deterrents to wider crypto adoption. The good news is that governments have made notable progress in this respect, with many jurisdictions introducing crypto-friendly regulations. This trend is expected to pick up pace in 2025, with more countries across the globe creating regulatory systems that will allow digital currencies to be used on a larger scale.
The end of the four-year market cycle
So far, we’ve been used to seeing the crypto market follow a four-year cycle due to Bitcoin’s unwavering dominance. The main crypto’s evolution has been largely shaped by the quadrennial halving event, leading the coin to repeat the same pattern of price movement within a four-year timeframe. With Bitcoin being the largest and most influential crypto, the entire market followed in its footsteps.
However, the industry has grown considerably since its early days and is now shaped by other forces, not just Bitcoin’s impact. Regulators and institutions have stepped in, creating a very different ecosystem from the one we used to know. As a result, the four-year cycle might lose its relevance in the current context. Without the usual recurrence of peak and correction phases, the market might become more stable, which may encourage adoption and turn crypto into a more reliable asset class.
If we were to maintain a realistic perspective on crypto’s future, chances are 2026 will most likely be a mixed bag, like every year has been up until now. The question is which way the balance is going to tilt: toward positive or negative events. Analysts seem to be quite optimistic, anticipating accelerated progress and fewer obstacles for crypto, so we can only hope their predictions will come true.
Editorial staff
