CoinFund President Christopher Perkins is betting 2026 will probably be outlined much less by shiny new token narratives and extra by steadiness sheets, regulation-enabled product launches, and the messy maturation of crypto into an trade that buys, sells, and consolidates itself. In a Dec. 31 thread on X, Perkins laid out seven predictions:
#1 Crypto ‘M&A Summer time’ And A $25 Billion Deal Yr
Perkins’ first and loudest name: 2026 will probably be “the yr of crypto M&A.” He pegged 2025 M&A exercise at roughly $8.6 billion in whole deal worth, then projected 2026 will “attain $25bn,” framing it as a step-change reasonably than a modest grind greater.
He sketched consolidation stress throughout a number of fronts, from “DAT/Labs/Basis consolidation” to “DAT vs DAT (mNAV reckoning),” plus a two-way bridge between conventional finance and crypto. The route of journey, in his telling, is simple: TradFi companies attempting to catch up and crypto companies shopping for their approach into regulated capabilities.
“TradFi → Crypto (ugh, I’m behind and must catch up),” he wrote. “Crypto (DATs, Exchanges) → TradFi (we’d like working corporations, securities capabilities and licenses, too!).” He additionally flagged “Asia→US” as a theme, arguing {that a} clearer regulatory setting will pull worldwide gamers towards the US market.
“2021 was stablecoin summer season; 2026 goes to be M&A summer season,” Perkins concluded.
#2 Stablecoins To $600 Billion
Perkins’ second prediction is a market-cap doubling in stablecoins, “surpassing $600bn (2x).” His reasoning hinges much less on retail use and extra on issuer economics and market plumbing.
“For each stablecoin, somebody is making internet curiosity earnings. Who wouldn’t need one?” he wrote. “As markets tokenize, you’ll want stablecoins to purchase and promote them. Watch the expansion speed up in 2026.”
The subtext is that stablecoins turn into the default settlement asset for on-chain monetary exercise—particularly if extra real-world belongings and market constructions migrate on-chain—whereas issuer incentives stay sturdy.
#3 A $2 Billion-Plus Crypto Hack As A Coverage Catalyst
Perkins additionally forecast a significant safety occasion: “A serious hack >$2bn will shake confidence, result in a drawdown and catalyze to coverage modifications.” He pointed to what he described as worsening traits, citing $3.4 billion in hacking throughout 2025, “a 51% enhance,” then argued the assault floor grows as tokenization and stablecoins deliver “tons of of billions extra” on-chain.
He went additional than the standard name for higher safety practices, floating a provocative historic reference as a doable coverage route. “Perhaps it’s time for a brand new change to coverage, like Letters of Marque and Reprisal,” he wrote. “Simply sayin’….” The implication: if losses scale up, the coverage response might turn into extra aggressive—and fewer summary.
#4 Regulated Derivatives Return
On market construction, Perkins predicted US crypto derivatives will come “again to the US in a significant approach,” with a “large battle for marketshare” as “new gamers enter the area.” Whilst he expects the US share of world derivatives quantity to triple, he argued CME’s slice of US crypto futures might fall amid broader competitors.
His thesis is rooted in regulatory momentum and institutional buying and selling conduct. “Now that the regulatory path is obvious, there will probably be a proliferation of recent regulated futures merchandise launched within the US,” Perkins wrote. “As crypto enters its institutional period, demand will probably be off the charts as a result of foundation buying and selling will probably be their first step. It will breathe life again into alts.”
#5 No Market-Construction Invoice
Not all the things is acceleration. Perkins’ fifth prediction: a complete market construction invoice “won’t be handed,” blaming political calendar gravity. “Sorry guys, this one goes to be too tough. Midterms will take the oxygen out of the room,” he wrote.
#6 New ATHs For Bitcoin And ETH
Regardless of that, he nonetheless expects new highs within the majors, calling for bitcoin at $150,000 and ether above $5,000. “BTC and $ETH will hit ATHs,” Perkins wrote. “BTC hits $150,000; ETH makes passes $5,000. Institutional adoption makes this doable.”
#7 NFTs Return, However Not As Jpegs
Lastly, Perkins forecast an NFT revival with a format change. “NFTs will make a comeback, however model 2.0 won’t be jpegs,” he wrote, carving out an exception for CryptoPunks whereas dismissing a broader JPEG-led resurgence. As an alternative, he expects “monetary, non-fungible tokens,” doubtlessly tied to “individualized, tokenized safety/yield vaults.”
At press time, the overall crypto market cap stood at $2.94 trillion.
Featured picture created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
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