BlackRock published a forecast for 2026:
✦ Trends drive markets.
Over the past 10 years, thematic funds in the US have grown 11-fold. Cryptocurrency is now officially on par with AI and financial market infrastructure—it's no longer a niche topic.
✦ Bitcoin has become mainstream for institutions.
BlackRock's IBIT remains the fastest-growing ETP in history. The company views Bitcoin not as a speculative asset, but as a long-term investment opportunity.
✦ AI is driving demand for computing and energy.
Demand is growing not due to the number of users, but rather the complexity of the tasks. The logic is simple: more tokens for processing AI tasks → more data centers → more energy. This is a fundamental trend, not a temporary hype.
✦ Technology and geopolitics.
AI, cybersecurity, and defense are merging into a single mega-narrative. Digital infrastructure is becoming a strategic asset on par with weapons.
✦ Tokenization is the next stage of market development.
Stablecoins have already proven the viability of the model. The next step is tokenizing not only cash and government bonds, but also a broader range of assets via blockchain.
✦ Ethereum.
Already, more than 65% of tokenized assets are hosted in the Ethereum ecosystem. This makes #ETH not just an asset, but an infrastructural layer of financial markets.
✦ Blockchain is the new financial infrastructure.
Access to assets will expand through on-chain mechanisms, not just through traditional financial markets.
✦ Why is this important now? The growth of the crypto industry has coincided with the strain on traditional market infrastructure. The old methods of settlements, clearing, and capital access don't scale to AI, global flows, and a 24/7 economy. Blockchain bridges this gap.
✦ Conclusion.
In 2026, crypto isn't a question of "will there be an alt-season," but rather part of a global nexus: AI → energy → infrastructure → tokenization.
It is in this context that institutional investors continue to enter BTC and on-chain finance.
