As the crypto industry matures, conversations about its future are shifting. Gone are the days when predictions focused solely on eye-watering price targets or overnight disruption. Instead, these days, experts are increasingly talking about structure, sustainability and real-world relevance – it’s more about the overall systems than it is about specific trends.
By 2026, crypto is expected to look less like an experiment and more like an established – though still evolving – part of the global financial ecosystem. While uncertainty remains, and most likely always will, there’s growing consensus around a handful of broad themes that could define the next phase of the industry. From regulation and institutional involvement to changing user expectations, the coming years may be shaped more by steady progress than sudden shocks.
From Speculation to Utility
One of the most common threads in expert commentary is the idea that crypto’s next phase will be driven less by speculation and more by practical use cases. While trading and investment will always play a role, there is growing emphasis on whether blockchain-based products genuinely solve problems or improve existing systems.
By 2026, many expect successful projects to be those that quietly integrate into everyday processes – whether in payments, identity, data ownership or decentralised infrastructure – rather than those built purely around hype cycles. This doesn’t signal the end of volatility, but it does seem to suggest a shift in what earns long-term attention and trust.
Experts also note that users are becoming more discerning. As the market matures, there’s less patience for overly complex platforms or unclear value propositions. Simplicity, transparency and reliability are increasingly seen as markers of credibility, especially in world in whicch crypto seems to be increasingly integrated into our everyday lives and processes.
A More Defined Relationship with Regulation
Another widely shared view is that crypto’s relationship with regulation will be clearer (though not necessarily simpler) by 2026. Rather than constant uncertainty, experts anticipate more defined frameworks emerging across major markets, even if approaches differ from country to country. Of course, approaches will most likely (and already do) differ greatly from one country to the next, but one thing’s for certain – governing bodies know that whatever the specifics may be, rules (and clear ones at that) are essential going forward.
This clarity could be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it may limit some of crypto’s more experimental edges, confining it to more or less what it already is and preventing real innovation. On the other, it could unlock broader participation from institutions, businesses and users who have been hesitant due to legal ambiguity. So, perhaps, more widespread adoption but less creatvity?
Importantly, many experts see regulation not as an endpoint, but as part of crypto’s normalisation. As the industry becomes more embedded in traditional systems, expectations around accountability, compliance and consumer protection are likely to grow – reshaping how projects are built and evaluated.
Perhaps this shift is a neccessary change for crypto to become truly integrated into our everyday lives and systems.
Our Experts:
- Alex Taylor: UK Managing Director at Mangopay
- Monica Eaton: Founder and CEO at Chargebacks911
- Laurent Descout: CEO and co-founder at Neo
- Scott Dawson: CEO of DECTA
- James Burnie: Financial Services Regulation and FinTech Partner and gunnercooke
- Kathryn Dodds: Corporate and FinTech Partner, gunnercooke LLP
- Professor. Dr Andrea Barbon: Assistant Professor at the Center for Financial Services Innovation at the University of St. Gallen
- Chris Mason: CEO at Orbital
- Oscar Asly: Group CEO of M4Markets
Alex Taylor, UK Managing Director at Mangopay
Stablecoins will take a clearly defined place in the payments stack
“Stablecoins have evolved into utility-first, currency-dominated payment rails used every day. In 2026, their long-term role in e-commerce payments will be selective, not sweeping. Looking ahead, we’ll see stablecoins gain traction where they genuinely outperform existing methods. That means cross-border commerce, high-volatility markets, and digital-first environments where predictability, speed, and low-cost settlement offer meaningful advantages over traditional rails.
“A critical factor shaping their future is privacy. Stablecoins operate on transparent, public blockchains, and once an identity is linked to a wallet address, the trail is visible. This means they currently don’t offer anonymity by design – they will need to evolve within a tightly regulated, data-sensitive framework if they are to play a mainstream role.
“Incentives will also support driving early user adoption, echoing the trajectory of open banking. Merchants experimenting with stablecoin payments may offer discounts or loyalty benefits, while fintech platforms will begin to treat stablecoins as an integrated feature enabling storage, conversion, and wallet-to-wallet flows.
“Programmable wallets will take this a step further, becoming one of the most impactful applications of blockchain in commerce, allowing platforms to automate complex fund distribution across both fiat and crypto rails in a single environment. For payment providers, this means integrating new layers of infrastructure to stay competitive. Throughout, trust in both the peg and the underlying financial system will remain the foundation on which stablecoins stand.”
Monica Eaton, Founder and CEO at Chargebacks911
“By 2026, stablecoins will move from the edge of payments to the center of settlement. The most important shift will not be market cap growth. It will be the way stablecoins quietly replace legacy clearing infrastructure. Merchants will adopt stablecoins because they reduce float, simplify cross-border transactions, and deliver real-time finality. With that speed, however, comes new forms of risk. Disputes will occur earlier in the transaction lifecycle, and fraud will adapt to target wallet-level vulnerabilities rather than card rails.”
“We should also expect regulation to mature in a way that increases confidence rather than slowing innovation. MiCA and the UK framework already show that clear rules attract adoption. The United States is likely to follow with standards for reserve verification and redemption timelines.”
“Stablecoins will become foundational, but the winners will be those who combine instant settlement with embedded trust. Merchants will require programmable dispute resolution, auditability, and issuer-agnostic safeguards. Real-time payments require real-time trust, and that is the next major frontier.”
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Laurent Descout, CEO and Co-Founder at Neo
“Stablecoins are no longer just niche crypto innovation. They have moved to a mainstream financial tool, with real-world use cases including digital commerce, on-chain settlement and cross-border payments. Regulatory frameworks and legislation in the US and Europe, such as the GENIUS Act and MiCA have helped inject legitimacy and structure.
“In cross-border payments, stablecoins can facilitate near-instantaneous transactions at significantly lower cost, unlike traditional bank transfers, which can take up to five days and involve multiple intermediaries. Over the next year, adoption will move beyond crypto-native users to broader financial flows, embedding stablecoins more deeply into traditional finance.”
Scott Dawson, CEO of DECTA
“If there was one area where actual structural movement happened in 2025, it was regulation. The new safeguarding regime for digital money and e-money institutions marks a real reset. For years there has been anxiety about safeguarding failures, and the FCA’s push for stricter controls, clearer segregation of funds and more robust wind-down planning will raise standards across the industry. This will not be painless. Some Fintechs will struggle with the operational and capital demands. Consolidation is likely. But the hard truth is that safeguarding needed to be tightened. The sector has matured to the point where consumer protection cannot be optional.”
“At the same time, the regulatory steps toward a clearer framework for stablecoins could create new opportunities for SMEs. If fiat-backed stablecoins are properly supervised, fully backed and seamlessly integrated into payment rails, they could become a low-cost settlement option. For small businesses this matters. Faster settlement, lower fees and true cross-border reach are not theoretical benefits – they make the difference between weeks of cash flow pressure and having money on hand. Regulation, done correctly, can create the conditions for genuinely better financial products.”
James Burnie, Financial Services Regulation and FinTech Partner and gunnercooke
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“We are currently seeing a rollout of regulatory frameworks globally, and in the UK for example we can expect to see the foundations of a full regulatory regime for crypto. The effect of this will be to split jurisdicitons, in particular between those which focus on consumer protection (generally those jurisdicitons with larger populations) and those which focus on innovations (generally smaller jurisdictions looking to leverage the value of bringing business into the jurisdiction).
“Special mention should be made of stablecoins, which are currently the most political game in town, given their ability to have a widespread impact on economies, and it is notable that in across the USA, EU and UK the initial focus of regulatory debate has been on this type of cryptoasset, for example in terms of where backing assets should be held. RWAs are also steadily likely to gain ground as they are achieving general acceptance.”
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Kathryn Dodds, Corporate and FinTech Partner, gunnercooke LLP
“By 2026, the crypto industry will be far less about speculation and far more about infrastructure. The biggest shift will be the mainstream adoption of institutional DeFi, where tokenised real-world assets, regulated stablecoins, and permissioned liquidity pools are used for settlement, collateral management, and intraday funding.
“Rather than replacing traditional finance, crypto-native infrastructure will increasingly re-wire it, enabling real-time settlement, programmable compliance, and continuous risk management. Jurisdictions with strong legal systems and pragmatic regulation will emerge as leaders, as legal enforceability becomes as important as technology.
“At the same time, consumer-facing crypto will become more embedded and less visible, sitting behind familiar financial products rather than operating as a standalone market. In short, crypto’s centre of gravity will move from hype to utility, and from edge experiments to core financial plumbing.”
Professor. Dr Andrea Barbon, Assistant Professor at the Center for Financial Services Innovation at the University of St. Gallen
“Stablecoins could become part of everyday financial life. They may start to make up a significant fraction of retail payments, especially in e-commerce and remittances, where low fees and fast settlement offer clear benefits. Customers might use stablecoin wallets more often as regulated issuers emerge, similar to how they currently use contactless payments.
“Asset tokenisation might gain more commercial importance. We could see the first signs of institutional investors testing programmable securities to speed up settlement and unlock liquidity in specific asset classes, even though widespread adoption remains uncertain. The long-term effects of this technology will rely more on operational readiness and clear regulations rather than just on innovation.”
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Lukman Otunuga, Senior Market Analyst at FXTM
“After a bruising 2025, the cryptocurrency market enters 2026 bruised but far from broken. Bitcoin’s first negative year since 2022 has undoubtedly dented sentiment, particularly following the October flash crash and sustained ETF outflows. However, history suggests that periods of consolidation and pessimism often lay the groundwork for the next major move.
“From a macroeconomic perspective, the backdrop could gradually turn more supportive. Cooling inflation and slowing global growth increase the likelihood of lower interest rates, and bitcoin has historically performed well in easing cycles as the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets declines. This could help revive demand as liquidity conditions improve.”
“Supply dynamics also remain a long-term bullish pillar. With over 95% of bitcoin’s total supply already mined and a significant proportion locked away in long-term wallets and ETFs, the actively traded supply is increasingly thin. In such an environment, even modest demand shocks have the potential to trigger outsized price moves.
“That said, 2026 will not be without challenges. New tax reporting rules in the US, UK and EU are set to increase regulatory scrutiny, which may initially weigh on participation and sentiment. In addition, bitcoin’s growing ties to traditional markets mean developments around crypto-heavy firms like MicroStrategy could have broader ripple effects. Any sharp decline in MicroStrategy shares following index-related decisions could spill over into bitcoin prices, given its role as a public proxy for crypto exposure.
“From a technical standpoint, the $100,000 level remains pivotal. Sustained weakness below this psychological threshold could expose deeper downside levels, while a decisive recovery above it would likely reignite bullish momentum and reopen the door to record highs. Ultimately, 2026 may prove to be a defining year for bitcoin — one that separates short-term noise from long-term conviction.”
Chris Mason, CEO at Orbital
“The Genius Act unleashed a wave of stablecoin activity in the summer of 2025. Big banks got in on the act, stablecoin start-ups raised big rounds, and a flurry of new chains and coins arrived on the market.
“On the surface, there appears to be a payments revolution in the making. But history tells us that issuing money is the easy part; making it useful is much harder. The big problem facing stablecoins is interoperability. That is, most coins and chains can’t talk to each other.
“Many of the current launches are effectively closed-loop tokens, useful as internal ledgers but not interoperable to create a wider network that gives the scale and reach for mass adoption. Visa and Mastercard made global interoperability work, where others failed, by standardising roles and rules, then building shared networks that let thousands of banks, processors, and merchants transact as if they were on one unified system.
“History speaks for itself: real scale for stablecoins will only come from the network effect we see in existing payment systems. If this is to be achieved, it will require industry collaboration at a time when different power players are jostling for market position. Whether competition can be set aside for collaboration will define the success of stablecoins in 2026.”
Oscar Asly, Group CEO of M4Markets
“By 2026, crypto will be living with the consequences of the regulatory decisions made in 2025. That was the year policymakers stopped debating whether to regulate and started defining how. Clearer frameworks around custody, stablecoins, market abuse and consumer protection, particularly across the UK, EU and parts of Asia, have removed ambiguity, but also eliminated excuses. Crypto firms entering 2026 will no longer be able to hide behind innovation rhetoric; they will be expected to meet the same standards of governance, resilience and accountability as any other financial institution.
“The immediate impact will be institutional acceleration, but on far more disciplined terms. Banks, asset managers and payments firms are engaging not because of ideology, but because regulatory clarity has made participation commercially viable. Tokenisation, on-chain settlement and regulated stablecoins will quietly scale, often without being labelled “crypto” at all. The winners will be businesses that designed for compliance early and treated regulation as a product feature rather than a constraint.
“For the industry itself, 2026 will be a year of maturity, or contraction. Speculation will not disappear, but it will no longer define the sector’s public legitimacy. Leadership will shift from evangelists to operators, from noise to execution. The long-term question is no longer whether crypto can disrupt finance, but whether it can integrate into it without losing its capacity to innovate. The answer to that will shape the next decade far more than price movements ever could.”
