Industry leaders expect 2026 to mark a decisive shift from experimentation to execution, with stablecoins, regulated infrastructure, and artificial intelligence shaping the next phase of growth, according to executives across payments, policy, wallets, and decentralized computing.
After the return of crypto IPOs and funding rounds in 2025, investor attention has turned toward sustainability rather than scale at any cost.
Executives say the rebound signaled renewed confidence, but also a higher bar for companies seeking capital, with emphasis placed on revenue generation, compliance, and products that users actively rely on.
Investors Shift Focus To utility And Operational Discipline
Petr Kozyakov, co-founder and chief executive of payments infrastructure firm Mercuryo, said the revival of listings and funding reflected a clear change in investor priorities.
He said capital is increasingly flowing toward companies that demonstrate steady performance, transparent operations, and real demand, rather than long-term promises.
Looking ahead, Kozyakov said 2026 growth will favor businesses that keep crypto services simple and integrate them into familiar financial flows such as cards, transfers, and online checkout.
He added that progress will be driven by faster settlement, smoother cross-border payments, and compliance processes that operate quietly in the background, allowing crypto to function as part of the broader financial network rather than a separate system.
Stablecoins And Regulation Anchor The Next Phase Of Adoption
Stablecoins emerged as the strongest area of user growth in 2025, and executives broadly expect that trend to continue.
Maja Vujinovic, CEO and co-founder of Digital Assets at FG Nexus, said stablecoins and tokenized Treasuries are not poised to replace traditional banking in 2026, but will play a growing role in international transactions and institutional capital flows.
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“Traditional banking won't be displaced by dollar stablecoins and tokenized Treasuries by 2026, but these instruments will become significant players in international transactions and institutional capital movements,” Vujinovic said.
He added that corporate treasurers and fintech firms increasingly view blockchain-based dollars as financial infrastructure rather than speculative assets.
Policy clarity is expected to shape how quickly that adoption scales.
Nilmini Rubin, chief policy officer at Hedera, said clearer regulatory direction in major markets has strengthened consumer protections and rebuilt confidence, while globally, jurisdictions that treat regulatory clarity as strategic infrastructure are better positioned to attract investment and support sustainable innovation in 2026.
AI, Prediction Markets And Decentralized Infra Gain momentum
Beyond payments and regulation, executives expect new use cases to define crypto’s next chapter.
Filip Dragoslavic, co-founder and co-CEO of Solflare, said prediction markets, stablecoins, and AI will sit at the center of crypto’s trajectory in 2026.
He said AI-driven products will increasingly rely on plain-language input, while automation will focus on reducing manual work without removing user control over financial assets.
At the infrastructure level, decentralized AI is expected to gain traction as centralized models encounter scaling and energy constraints.
Greg Osuri, founder of Akash, said decentralized AI will become one of Web3’s largest use cases in 2026, driven by the need for scalable, energy-efficient, and privacy-preserving systems.
He also said projects will face growing pressure to demonstrate product-market fit before focusing on liquidity or tokenization.
Across sectors, executives agree that 2026 will reward companies that combine clear regulation, strong user experience, and provable utility, signaling a more disciplined phase for the crypto industry.
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