Bitcoin has delivered returns of more than 600 percent for investors since its low point in late 2022. Some traders argue that now is just a normal correction, similar to what happened in Q1 2025, while others say this marks the start of a bear market. This article will discuss some predictions for the crypto market in 2026.
The Crypto Market in 20252025 is a relatively disappointing year for Bitcoin, especially compared to 2024 and 2023. As of December 1, Bitcoin's YTD (year-to-date) performance is -7 percent. For comparison, gold YTD is +62 percent, S&P 500 is around 16 percent, and NASDAQ is around 20 percent. For the first time since 2023, Bitcoin is far behind other major assets.
5 Crypto Predictions for 20261. Bullish Scenario: Bitcoin Rebounds In Q1 Due To Q Policy
The bullish scenario for the crypto industry and Bitcoin in 2026 depends on the failure of the four-year cycle theory. The reason is that bullish driving factors from the macro environment will push crypto and other risky assets into an extended bull market.
BitWise CEO, Matthew Hougan, said his view that the theory of the cycle is dead is reinforced by two factors: falling interest rates and governments willing to get involved with crypto. Gautam Chhugani, an analyst at Bernstein, predicts that Bitcoin will reach 200 thousand US dollars by 2026 with a longer bull market because "the Trump Administration wants to build the US into the world's crypto capital". The buying pressure for Bitcoin will continue to increase over time.
2. Bearish Scenario: 2026 Will Be the Beginning of the Next Bearish Market
Although many are optimistic about 2026, the fact is that Bitcoin has corrected by more than 30 percent over the past few weeks. Many traders, such as Benjamin Cowen, have expressed their bearish bias against Bitcoin. He said Bitcoin will eventually fall back below the 200 Week SMA ($60k-$70k) in 2026.
The bearish view of the market states that the 4-year cycle is still intact. In addition, for the first time since the middle of 2024, Bitcoin is below the 100 Week EMA. This also happened in 2022, when Bitcoin finally fell below the 100 Week EMA after the November 2021 peak.
3. Fundamentals are Back Important
There are many trends that have occurred in the past two years' bull market. Since 2023, the market has seen experiments with ZK technology, modular blockchains, AI and AI agents, prediction markets, DEX swaps, ICM, and other narratives. However, most of what is mentioned here is dead.
However, some narratives have real demand and retain their users. Pendle, an innovative interest trading still maintains 3 billion US dollars in TVL, many stablecoin protocols have stored billions of dollars since their launch, and Hyperliquid has carved its own path in the Perp Dex sector.
As the market has become bearish over the past few months, fundamentals have once again become the talk of the town. Revenue, PMF (product and market fit), and users are becoming increasingly important for investors and traders.
4. The Prediction Market Will Continue to Grow
One of the most innovative and successful products that emerged from this bullish market is the prediction market. Two leading players in this sector are Kalshi and Polymarket. Both currently have a valuation of around 11 billion US dollars to 15 billion US dollars, with Kalshi just raising 1 billion US dollars at a valuation of 11 billion US dollars.
The prediction market has gained attention from the wider technology sector. The CEO of Polymarket appeared on TV and said that the prediction market is one of the most accurate ways to predict an event. In addition, Kalshi has just become CNN's official prediction market partner. With the FIFA World Cup getting closer, the prediction market sector will grow even more in 2026.
5. Crypto Integrated into Everyday Life Through Neobank
Stablecoins and crypto payments are another advancement in the crypto industry that finds a market fit for their product. Although stablecoin-based projects are already popular among crypto users, crypto payments (neobanks) are starting to attract the attention of the general public.
Currently, there are more than five major players in the crypto neobank sector. Revolut, Kast, Ether.fi, Rain, Tria, and Reddotpay are some of them. Collectively, the neobank sector reached around $400 million in volume in November (excluding data from Revolut and Kast).
Potential Sectors for 2026Regardless of whether we enter a bearish market or an extended bull run, what is certain is that some narratives or sectors will outperform others. As we have discussed several times above, projects with real users and usable products will be key.
Given this, we can narrow down some potential sectors: perpetual DEXs, prediction markets, tokenization, and payments or stablecoins. All of these narratives already have the potential to outperform in the coming year due to their strong fundamentals.
How to Buy Crypto Assets at the DoorYou can buy crypto assets on Pintu by following the following steps:
1. Log in to the Pintu application homepage.2. Log in to the Market page, search for crypto assets such as BTC, ETH, SOL, or XRP.3. On the token page, you can see the price movement graph of the asset in a 24-hour, 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year period. 4. After being on the token page, click Buy or Buy and enter the nominal.5. Click Continue.6. You have successfully purchased a crypto asset!
Your security as a Pintu user is guaranteed, because Pintu is supervised by OJK and CFX. In addition to trading, Pintu also allows you to learn more about crypto through various articles on Pintu Academy, updated every week!
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