Author: Jay Yu
Compiled and organized by: BitpushNews
Wishing everyone a happy holiday season and a peaceful Christmas Eve! It's that time of year again for predictions. Here are my 12 predictions for the crypto market in 2026.
1. Capital-efficient consumer credit
Capital-efficient consumer credit will be the next frontier for crypto lending. They will combine complex on-chain and off-chain credit models, modular design with collateral management, and AI learning of user behavior, all packaged in an easily accessible application.
2. Differentiation of prediction markets
The prediction market will evolve in two distinctly different directions - the 'financial' direction and the 'cultural' direction. In the financial direction, the prediction market will be more composable with DeFi, providing easier access to leverage, implementing liquid staking, and creating tools that resemble sophisticated 'options'. The cultural market will be more inclined to capture the imagination of the masses, featuring more regional differences and serving long-tail enthusiasts.
3. The rise of agent business based on x402.
Agent businesses using endpoints like x402 will expand into more service areas. While the core appeal of agent businesses will still lie in micro-payments, x402 will increasingly be used as a framework for regular payments—mechanically similar to Apple Pay. Some websites may see over 50% of their transaction volume and revenue coming from x402 payments. In terms of cents-level transaction volume, Solana will surpass Base.
4. AI becomes the interface layer for crypto interactions.
The trading loop of AI intermediaries will become mainstream. While fully autonomous trading AI based on large language models is still experimental, AI assistance (analyzing crypto trends, specific projects, wallet tracking) will gradually permeate the user flows of most consumer-facing crypto applications.
5. The rise of tokenized gold.
The trading volume of tokenized gold will grow, becoming a leading asset in the wave of real-world assets (RWA). Tokenized gold can circumvent restrictions placed on physical gold by various jurisdictions and will become an increasingly attractive store of value against the backdrop of structural issues facing the dollar.
6. BTC's 'quantum panic'.
A 'quantum panic' may occur (possibly stemming from a technological breakthrough), prompting many institutions holding BTC to begin discussing contingency plans for quantum computing. The resistance of BTC and early coins from the Satoshi era will come under scrutiny. Fortunately, the technology is not yet advanced enough to pose a real threat to any value.
7. Unified privacy development experience.
With the continued development of frameworks like Kohaku on Ethereum, privacy will gain a unified, developer-friendly interface. Its development path will be similar to the previous cycle's 'wallet as a service' platform—providing an application-level product that abstracts various technology connectors. We may see companies offering 'privacy as a service' bundles (perhaps including wallets), primarily aimed at enterprise workflows.
8. Integration of DAT (Digital Asset Treasury).
Each major category will only integrate 2-3 DATs. This may be achieved by unlocking/releasing liquidity, converting to ETF-style products, or through M&A consolidation between DATs.
9. The boundary between tokens and equity will dissolve.
For 'governance' type crypto tokens that have no legal control over the company, a survival crisis will emerge. We will see more high-quality companies opting to remain 'privatized' for longer periods. Perhaps we will see tokens that are convertible to equity, and the regulatory framework around the legal ownership of tokens will be solidified.
10. Hyperliquid maintains dominance in perpetual contract DEX.
Perpetual contract DEXs will consolidate, with Hyperliquid maintaining market dominance. The HIP3 market will become a primary driver of transaction volume, and interest-bearing stablecoins will become first-class citizens in the HYPE (Hyperliquid ecosystem) (for example, enabled through HyENA). USDC's dominance on HYPE will be replaced by USDe and USDH.
11. Prop AMM (oracle-driven AMM) achieves multi-chain capability.
Prop AMM will achieve multi-chain deployment and account for more than half of the transaction volume on Solana. They will also be used for pricing more assets (like RWA).
12. Stablecoins become international payment flows.
An increasing number of existing fintech companies (like Stripe, Ramp, Brex, Klarna) will use stablecoins to handle their international payment flows. Stablecoin chains like Tempo will become the main entry point for fiat into cryptocurrencies, first accepting fiat payments and then converting them into stablecoins for settlement.
As always, this content is for educational reference only and does not constitute financial advice. Please be sure to DYOR!
