Galaxy’s 26 Crypto Predictions for 2026

• Galaxy expects volatile 2026 markets, with Bitcoin trending toward $250K by 2027 amid wide price swings.
• Stablecoins and DeFi lending drive growth as apps capture more value than base layers and loans exceed $90B.
• Corporates and institutions expand on-chain, with Fortune 500 L1s, new ETFs and crypto IPOs gaining ground.

Galaxy has outlined 26 predictions for the crypto sector in 2026, covering Bitcoin, DeFi, tokenized securities, and corporate blockchain adoption. The report anticipates BTC reaching $250K by 2027, but notes 2026 will be highly volatile. Predictions highlight stablecoins, decentralized lending and L1 ecosystem developments as key market drivers.

Bitcoin, L1s and Corporate Blockchain Adoption

Galaxy expects Bitcoin to steadily approach $250K by late 2027, with 2026 marked by chaotic market conditions and wide option-implied ranges. Solana’s on-chain economy, shifting toward revenue-generating applications, could see its Internet Capital Markets grow from approximately $750 million to $2 billion.

Additionally, at least one general-purpose layer-one blockchain is predicted to integrate a revenue-generating app at the protocol level, boosting its native token. Corporate adoption will grow as Fortune 500 companies launch branded L1s handling over $1 billion in real activity, connected to public DeFi through production-ready bridges.

DeFi Growth and Regulatory Shifts

Galaxy forecasts that applications will capture more value than underlying networks due to fee compression, reduced MEV leakage, and app dominance. The SEC may provide an innovation exemption for tokenized securities in DeFi, though legal challenges could follow.

Crypto-backed loans are expected to surpass $90 billion, while stablecoin borrow rates remain below 10% due to deep liquidity and institutional capital. Stablecoins are also projected to overtake ACH transaction volume, with major card networks settling more than 10% of cross-border transactions using public-chain stablecoins.

Market Expansion and Institutional Adoption

Predictions also include privacy tokens exceeding $100 billion in combined market capitalization, Polymarket achieving weekly volume over $1.5 billion, and over 100 U.S. crypto ETFs launching.

Bitcoin could enter standard portfolio allocations with a 1–2% weight, while more than 15 crypto companies may IPO or uplist in the U.S. Additionally, x402 agentic on-chain payments are expected to reach significant adoption on Base (30%) and Solana (5%), supporting more standardized execution.