Dragonfly's Haseeb Qureshi Shares 2026 Crypto Market Predictions
Dragonfly managing partner Haseeb Qureshi forecasts that 2026 will bring both upside and downside surprises in crypto markets, with durable long-run trends taking precedence over rapid experimentation.
Bitcoin is expected to finish 2026 above $150,000 but will hold a smaller share of the market, allowing other assets to expand while bitcoin remains the anchor.
He expressed skepticism about fintech-branded blockchains; wallet engagement, stablecoin flows, and tokenized asset adoption may underperform, with infrastructure needing to prioritize neutrality and composability.
Ethereum and Solana are anticipated to continue outperforming relative to expectations, while newer networks will compete for attention.
There could be deeper corporate involvement, including at least one major tech company launching or acquiring a crypto wallet. Fortune 100 firms may deploy blockchain tied to banking and fintech, with Avalanche and rollup frameworks positioned to benefit.
The DeFi market structure is expected to evolve toward consolidation, featuring a few dominant on-chain perpetual futures venues and many smaller platforms contesting the rest. Product innovations may emphasize negotiated execution, while insider trading controversy could attract mainstream scrutiny.
Payments and stablecoins represent Qureshi’s strongest conviction: stablecoin supply should grow sharply in 2026, remaining dollar-denominated, with distribution-driven adoption via new payment rails, particularly in emerging markets.
In regulation and politics, the U.S. is expected to advance a crypto market structure bill in 2026 after negotiations, though outcomes may leave some parties dissatisfied. Increased political scrutiny could lead to reputational fallout for participants.
Prediction markets are anticipated to expand rapidly but with few consumer-facing platforms. AI gains will be concentrated in developer tooling and security, with smaller teams delivering AI-driven workflows and improved cybersecurity amid ongoing attack attempts.
