The investment company Grayscale published an analytical report titled "Forecast for Digital Assets in 2026: The Beginning of the Era of Institutionalization," in which it stated about fundamental structural shifts in the digital asset market.
Analysts believe that the next year may mark the end of the so-called "four-year cycle" and the beginning of a new phase, where institutional capital, regulatory certainty, and deeper integration of blockchains into the traditional financial system will play a key role.
According to Grayscale, the cryptocurrency market is in a sustained bullish trend that does not fit into the classical model of cycles related to the Bitcoin halving $BTC . Previous market peaks were usually formed 1–1.5 years after the halving, however, the current cycle has already lasted over three years, and the last halving occurred in April 2024.
Grayscale also forecasts growth in valuations across all six crypto sectors and allows for the possibility that the price of Bitcoin will exceed the previous historical maximum as early as the first half of 2026.
