OPINION | Why The 2026 Crypto Bull Run Will Look Nothing Like The Last One

For much of 2025, crypto appeared stuck between rallies that faded quickly and pullbacks that failed to trigger panic. But that apparent stasis masked a more profound transformation. The market was not frozen but was being reorganised. Institutional capital, derivative hedging, stablecoin rails, and regulatory clarity were quietly changing how price discovery works in the crypto world. Understanding that shift is essential to understanding why the next bull cycle will look fundamentally different. 

Frameworks, Fundamentals

The year’s headline was not a single rally or crash. It was all about the quiet shift in who sets the marginal price and how they manage risk. That matters because the next bull cycle in 2026 is unlikely to look like the last one. It will be less about “manias everywhere” and more about flows, frameworks, and fundamentals. However, there will always be sharp, tradeable volatility along the way.

Key Trend

The most important 2025 trend was the institutionalisation of demand. Spot Bitcoin ETFs did not just exist. They started behaving like a new monetary channel. BlackRock’s IBIT, for instance, was among the top ETFs by inflows in 2025 even while posting a negative return. This was a telling signal that allocation decisions are increasingly policy-like and not purely dependent on ‘performance-chasing.’ CoinDesk’s research framing also captures the second-order effect: institutional Bitcoin exposure broadened beyond ETFs to public treasury companies. So, if we summarise 2024 as the breakthrough year, 2025 was the proof of concept, and 2026 is where those pipes can amplify the upside when macro liquidity turns friendlier.

But 2025 also reminded markets that ‘mainstream’ doesn’t mean or ensure a ‘smooth’ ride. The year’s volatility increasingly expressed itself through derivatives (especially options), turning expiry weeks into narrative weeks. A late-December reset of roughly $27 billion in Bitcoin and ETH options underscores how concentrated positioning can become. Also, it is indicative of how quickly Spot can be tugged by hedging flows. This is one reason why price is often looked at in a range-bound manner, even when headlines screamed momentum. To summarise, the market was not indecisive. It was always ‘risk-managed.’ For 2026, that implies a bull cycle with more frequent ‘air pockets’ and more tradable dislocations. This is especially so because the dominant participants will hedge, roll, and rebalance rather than simply buy and pray.

Stablecoins Factor

Stablecoins were the other significant accelerant of 2025. The adoption story is no longer confined to exchanges as stablecoins are increasingly payment rails and treasury tools. Blockchain intelligence platform TRM Labs reported that stablecoins comprised about 30% of on-chain transaction volume with year-to-date volumes surpassing $4 trillion by August 2025. The IMF, in a separate lens, highlighted how the largest stablecoins have grown dramatically since 2023 and how usage is becoming meaningfully global. Even traditional payment processors moved from ‘pilot’ language to ‘product language,’ with new merchant stablecoin settlement offerings going live. 

Why this shapes 2026 is because of the simple fact that bull cycles feed on easy onboarding. Stablecoins reduce friction between fiat and crypto, between countries, and between platforms. So, speculative demand can scale faster when sentiment turns.

Regulation

Regulation, too, quietly changed texture in 2025. Europe’s post-MiCA environment pushed stablecoin and compliance conversations into operational detail rather than ideological debate. In the U.S., the direction of travel mattered as much as any single rule. Major financial institutions continued exploring deeper digital-asset trading capabilities for clients to signal that crypto exposure is becoming a proper service line. Taking a cue on the customer banking side, institutions like Bank of America is asking clients to allocate 1-4% of their portfolio in digital assets. So, a 2026 bull cycle built atop clearer rails would definitely attract bigger capital because the huge compliance departments can finally file the risk under the ‘known’ head.

Two Key Things To Note

So what does this mean in practical market terms going into 2026? Expect Bitcoin to remain the core ‘macro beta’ while the broader market rotates around it in phases. Late-2025 price action illustrates the new regime where Bitcoin can be strong. However, individual and institutional investors will spend time and research energy to digest psychologically important zones like options positioning and ETF flows. In this setup, two technical areas tend to matter to both traders and longer-term allocators. These are: a support band (for BTC) around the $85,000-$88,000 zone. There will also be a pivot zone near $90,000 that would often flip between reclaim and rejection. The message is not that the charts will ‘predict’ 2026. The strong indicator is that the institutional markets will create more levels that many participants will watch at once. Thereby, there will be self-reinforcing market regimes during liquidity stress.

If 2025 had a single lesson for investors, it could be that crypto is no longer powered only by stories. It is powered by infrastructure that turns stories into flows. The next bull cycle in 2026 will likely be shaped by ETF and treasury demand acting as a baseline bid; derivatives magnifying both upside bursts and sudden drawdowns; stablecoins widening the funnel of participation; and regulation converting ‘headline risk’ into ‘process risk.’ In other words, the market is growing where the strongest rallies may arrive with euphoria, but with something that looks almost boring on the surface. The benefits will be reaped by those engaging in learned, relentless, and methodical allocation. 

(The author is the CEO of Giottus)

Disclaimer: Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions. Cryptocurrency is not a legal tender and is subject to market risks. Readers are advised to seek expert advice and read offer document(s) along with related important literature on the subject carefully before making any kind of investment whatsoever. Cryptocurrency market predictions are speculative and any investment made shall be at the sole cost and risk of the readers.