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The year ahead for crypto 🔮

The year ahead for crypto 🔮

2026 will see regulatory advances and an influx of institutional capital—forcing crypto markets to prove their resilience, according to experts.

Stephen Graves
January 06, 2026

📝 What you need to know

The coming year is set to test crypto markets, as new regulatory frameworks and institutional participation begin to shape how trading actually functions. That’s the view of market participants who spoke to Decrypt, arguing that liquidity will concentrate across fewer venues in 2026.

As institutions continue to pile in—like Morgan Stanley, who filed S-1 forms for Bitcoin and Solana ETFs Tuesday—concern centers around whether markets can absorb volatility without the fragility seen in October’s liquidity crisis, and whether regulations are fit for purpose.

Elsewhere, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes argued that the “dominant narrative” for 2026 will be privacy, disclosing his firm Maelstrom’s Zcash position acquired at “excellent prices” as it surged over recent months.

Why 2026 Could Redefine Crypto Market Structure

As regulation advances and institutions scale in, 2026 is shaping up as the year crypto markets are forced to prove their resilience.

📰 In the News

Crypto’s Next ‘Dominant Narrative’ Will Be Privacy: Arthur Hayes

Hayes links the privacy-focused crypto trade to credit expansion, energy prices, and the political forces shaping risk assets.

Morgan Stanley Registers Bitcoin and Solana Funds With SEC

Morgan Stanley files for spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs as Bitcoin trades above $94K and Solana rises 6% in the past day.

Ethereum Network Usage Hits Record High—But Traders More Bullish on Gold

Ethereum's daily transactions hit a record 2.02M driven by RWA tokenization, yet prediction markets show traders are more bullish on gold.

📊 Myriad Market of the Day

Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela before February?

Trade "Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela before February?" on Myriad

💬 Quote of the Day

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ZEC will become the privacy beta, and we are already long a fuck ton of that at excellent prices obtained in 3Q25. The Maelstrom team’s focus is to find at least one shitcoin that can lead the way and generate outsized returns to our portfolio over the next few years within the privacy meta.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes on the coming year’s “dominant narrative” around privacy

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With Myriad, the on-chain prediction market launched by Decrypt’s parent company DASTAN, you can break the news and stake the news, using USDC and points.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Editor’s Picks

Amazon Launches New Chatbot-Style Interface for Alexa

The company has rolled out Alexa.com in early access, extending Alexa+ to browsers with smart-home controls, text, and image generation.

Elon Musk's xAI Refuses to Rein In Grok as Non-Consensual Deepfakes Run Wild

Users are getting Grok to generate non-consensual images of women. Elon Musk's AI platform says this is just another form of free speech.

Polymarket Trader's $400K Bet on Maduro's Ousting Sparks Insider Trading Controversy

Industry figures argue that insider trading on prediction markets is a “feature, not a bug,” as they face growing scrutiny from lawmakers.

📚 Watch and Learn

📹️ WATCH: Crypto Wallets Can ‘Directly Compete With Neobanks'

Bitget Wallet CMO Jamie Elkaleh tells Decrypt how the platform is evolving from a crypto wallet to a everyday finance app that seamlessly integrates crypto with TradFi, building on its vision of “Crypto for Everyone.”