Animoca Brands co-founder: 2026 will be the "Year of Utility Tokens," with each token having a clear use case.

PANews reported on December 28th that, according to Cointelegraph, Yat Siu, co-founder of Animoca Brands, stated that the crypto market is mispriced due to over-betting on Trump's policies in 2025, with Bitcoin facing its fourth annual decline in history. Trump's priorities, such as tariffs and trade wars, have impacted risk assets, and the market has mistakenly made them its core focus, while cryptocurrency is not actually his primary concern.

Yat Siu points out that Animoca Brands plans to go public through a reverse merger with Nasdaq-listed fintech company Currenc Group, with Animoca Brands holding a 95% stake in the merged entity. The company aims to become a proxy for altcoins in the public market, providing investors with diversified exposure to altcoins and Web3 assets. Animoca Brands currently has a portfolio of over 620 companies, adding approximately 100 new investments last year. In fiscal year 2024, the company's unaudited bookings were $314 million, and it has achieved EBITDA profitability for four consecutive years. With key U.S. legislation such as the Clarity Act and the GENIUS Act clarifying the regulatory framework, 2026 will force the industry to focus on compliance and practical application scenarios. Due to increased legal certainty, existing companies will launch tokens related to their businesses, and the market focus will shift from pure speculation to products that solve real-world problems. 2026 will be the year of utility tokens, where every issued token will have a clear use case.