Original Title: 10 Predictions for 2026
Original Source: Delphi Digital
Compiled by: Plain Talk Blockchain
Perpetual contract decentralized exchanges (Perp DEXs) will become the new Wall Street, AI agents will enable autonomous trading, and trading platforms will transform into “super apps.” The following are the key predictions from the report:
1. AI Agents Begin Autonomous Trading
The x402 protocol allows any API to set access permissions through cryptocurrency payments. When an AI agent requires a service, it can instantly pay with stablecoins, consuming a shopping cart or subscription. The ERC-8004 standard enhances trust by establishing reputation (including performance history and staked collateral). The combination of these two forms the autonomous agent economy. Users can delegate travel planning, and AI agents will automatically subcontract to miner search agents, pay data fees via x402, and book tickets on-chain, all without manual intervention.
2. Perp DEXs Devour Traditional Finance
Traditional finance is expensive due to fragmentation: trading occurs on exchanges, settlement at clearinghouses, and custody at banks. Blockchain will compress all of this into a single smart contract. Currently, Hyperliquid is building restructuring functionality. Perp DEXs may simultaneously become market makers, exchanges, custodians, banks, and clearinghouses. Platforms like Aster_DEX, Lighter_xyz, and paradex are accelerating their efforts to catch up.
3. Prediction Markets Evolve into Traditional Financial Infrastructure
Thomas Peterffy, Chairman of Interactive Brokers (IBKR), views prediction markets as a real-time information layer for portfolios. Early demand focuses on weather consistency for energy, logistics, and insurance risks. 2026 will introduce new categories: stock event markets for earnings performance, macro indicator markets for CPI and Fed decisions, and cross-asset relative markets. Traders holding tokenized Apple stock (AAPL) can hedge earnings risk with simple binary contracts or execute complex options. Prediction markets will become primary derivative products.
4. Ecosystems Reclaim Stablecoin Revenue from Issuers
Last year, Coinbase earned over $900 million in USDC reserve revenue solely from issuance channels. Public chains like Solana, BSC, and Arbitrum generate approximately $800 million in annual fees, yet their networks hold over $30 billion in idle USDC and USDT. This is changing. Hyperliquid has secured USDH reserve revenue through bidding. Ethena’s “stablecoin-as-a-service” model is being adopted by Sui, MegaETH, and Jupiter. Revenue that previously flowed to issuers is being reclaimed by platforms that create demand.
5. DeFi Tackles Under-Collateralized Lending
While DeFi lending protocols have substantial total value locked (TVL), nearly all require over-collateralization. zkTLS (zero-knowledge transport layer security) is key to solving this: users can prove sufficient bank balances without revealing identity or account details. 3jane leverages verified Web2 financial data to provide instant USDC under-collateralized credit lines, with interest rates dynamically adjusted based on real-time monitoring. This framework can also directly finance AI agents based on performance history (credit scores). Maple Finance, Centrifuge, and USDai have been tackling related areas. 2026 is the year under-collateralized debt transitions from experimentation to infrastructure.
6. On-Chain Forex (Onchain FX) Seeks Product-Market Fit
USD stablecoins account for 99.7% of supply, but this may be the peak of their dominance. The traditional forex market is massive but fragmented, with inefficient settlement. On-chain forex eliminates intermediate steps by placing all currencies as tokenized assets on a shared execution layer. Emerging market currency pairs will explode, as traditional forex there is most expensive and inefficient. These overlooked areas are where cryptocurrency carries the most obvious value.
7. Gold and Bitcoin Lead the Currency Debasement Trade
Gold surged 60% after being bullish, with central banks purchasing over 600 tons even as prices hit record highs. The macro backdrop supports continued strength: global central bank rate cuts, persistent fiscal deficits, and global M2 at all-time highs. Gold typically precedes Bitcoin by three to four months. As debasement becomes a key topic around 2026, both gold and Bitcoin will attract safe-haven capital inflows.
8. Trading Platforms Transform into “Super Apps” (Everything Apps)
Coinbase, Robinhood, Binance, and Kraken are no longer just trading platforms. Coinbase serves as the platform, Base App as the interface, with USDC providing supplemental revenue. Robinhood’s Gold membership grew 77%, becoming a retention engine. Binance has over 270 million users, with payment volume reaching $250 billion. When distribution costs decrease, platforms that own users capture the highest value. In 2026, winners will begin to widen the gap.
9. Privacy Infrastructure Catches Up with Market Demand
Privacy is under significant pressure: the EU passed the Chat Control Act, and cash transactions are limited to €10,000. Privacy infrastructure is emerging. payy_link launched private crypto cards, SeismicSys provides protocol-level encryption for fintech, and KeetaNetwork enables anonymous KYC. Without open payment rails, stablecoin adoption will reach a plateau.
10. Altcoins Return to Dispersion (No Uniform Rally)
The era of “rising tides lift all boats” bull markets is over. Over $3 billion in token unlocks loom overhead, facing competition for capital from AI, robotics, and biotechnology. Capital will cluster around structural demand: tokens with ETF inflows, protocols with real revenue and buybacks, and applications with clear product-market fit. Winners will concentrate on teams that have built moats in real economic activity.
Conclusion
Cryptocurrency is entering a new phase: institutionalization has arrived. Prediction markets, on-chain credit, the agent economy, and stablecoin infrastructure represent genuine paradigm shifts. Cryptocurrency is becoming the foundational infrastructure layer for global finance.
