2026 is expected to become a year of strategic choice for the cryptocurrency market. Amid intensifying regulatory pressure, macroeconomic uncertainty, and the technological maturation of the industry, an environment is taking shape in which long-term decisions and fundamental trends gain critical importance. Industry representatives assess the prospects for Bitcoin, blockchain technologies, stablecoins, and tokenization, while also outlining the key challenges of the near future.
Bitcoin and Stablecoins as the Foundation of the Digital Financial Architecture
According to Daniel Winklhammer, CEO of the 21bitcoin app, Bitcoin is increasingly solidifying its role as the core asset of the digital financial sector. He emphasizes that stablecoins remain the key driver of financial infrastructure transformation, as they outperform traditional payment systems in terms of speed, accessibility, and efficiency.
Stablecoins enable near-instant settlement, reduce liquidity requirements, and optimize international payment flows. Winklhammer believes that within the digital finance architecture, Bitcoin functions as the “prime asset,” while stablecoins serve as the technological backbone for settlements and capital circulation.
Regarding price prospects, he expects Bitcoin to be capable of reaching a new all-time high in 2026, approaching levels around $150,000, driven by institutional adoption, constrained supply, and growing confidence in BTC as a store of value. At the same time, he identifies the tightening of regulatory requirements—particularly in Europe—as one of the main challenges, as rising compliance costs could slow industry development.
Tokenization and the Return of Privacy
Cryptohall24 CEO Frederik Dürr sees significant potential in the tokenization of real-world assets. According to him, blockchain solutions are increasingly being integrated into real business operations, simplifying processes and improving transparency. Stablecoins, he notes, have already become a standard tool for international settlements, gradually displacing traditional banking channels.
Among individual projects, he highlights Kaspa, pointing to its BlockDAG-based architecture, which allows a large number of transactions to be processed in parallel. Dürr also anticipates a renewed interest in privacy-focused cryptocurrencies such as Zcash and Monero amid tighter oversight and expanding KYC and KYB procedures. In his view, the erosion of anonymity in the crypto space could once again boost demand for privacy-oriented solutions.
He links his Bitcoin outlook to macroeconomic conditions: under a favorable backdrop, BTC could form a range of $150,000–$160,000, although stricter regulation remains a constraining factor for innovation.
Stablecoins as the Connecting Link Between Financial Systems
BISON CEO Ulli Spankowski believes that stablecoins will become the key element of a scalable digital financial infrastructure. They are already being used for on-chain settlement, trading, liquidity management, tokenized securities, and cross-border payments.
At the same time, he points to the dominance of U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins, which account for around 99% of the market, underscoring the need to develop European alternatives in order to strengthen digital sovereignty. Among other promising areas, he highlights DeFi, DePIN, AI-related projects, and blockchain interoperability solutions.
With regard to Bitcoin, Spankowski takes a cautious stance, noting a wide range of possible scenarios for 2026 depending on global economic conditions, geopolitics, and regulatory fragmentation.
A Hybrid Financial System and the Role of Bitcoin
James Butterfill, Head of Research at CoinShares, believes that stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and DeFi are gradually forming a hybrid financial system. In this model, public blockchains become the infrastructure layer upon which both crypto and traditional financial markets are being reshaped.
Bitcoin, in his view, is increasingly perceived not as a speculative technology asset, but as a neutral macroeconomic instrument that is not tied to any single state. In a soft-landing scenario for the global economy, BTC could exceed $150,000, while in a recessionary environment it could approach $170,000. Butterfill estimates the base range at $110,000–$140,000.
At the same time, he emphasizes that the core story is not price, but the speed and depth of adoption. It is the pace of adoption, he argues, that will ultimately determine new price highs over the long term.
