Six major crypto trends to watch in 2026

The crypto market has six main trends to watch in 2026, based on Cryptopolitan’s latest report. Those trends may be linked to asset appreciation or the expansion of on-chain activity. 

In 2026, six trends may shape the crypto market, encompassing multiple platforms and apps within the crypto space. The latest Cryptopolitan report details on-chain activity and what to expect in the coming year. 

While 2025 moved under speculative price action, on-chain activity decoupled from trading. The newly emerging apps and trends will remain the main drivers of adoption this year. 

Spot markets: on-chain liquidity closes the gap

Spot activity converged between centralized and decentralized trading venues. The main driver of this trend is BNB Chain, which hosts new waves of tokens. 

The new year started with DEX trading making up 17.36% of centralized activity. The growing share of DEX activity is linked to several brands, like Binance, which combine CEX activity with a Web3 element. New tokens and memes can thus access liquidity easily, without being added to the centralized markets. 

Spot activity is also dependent on bots, which supply the necessary speed for short-lived asset pumps. 

Futures markets expand on perpetual DEX volumes

A significant part of futures speculation moved onto decentralized markets. In 2026, those markets reached escape velocity and became staples in the crypto space. 

Derivative markets had a significant structural shift. DEX futures started out from just 4.9% of centralized markets and ended up at 17.49% of the total trading volume. Both retail and high-profile whales joined the perpetual futures DEX trend. In 2026, Hyperliquid, Aster, and other markets remain the main drivers of both general market trends and specific asset pumps. 

Traditional assets move on-chain

In 2026, multiple tools have emerged for a crossover between traditional markets and crypto. With more developed trading and transaction infrastructure, platforms are scaling the tokenization of stocks. 

Real-world asset (RWA) tokens may replace some of the altcoins by offering more reliable intrinsic value. The tokenization trend also extended to centralized exchanges. Some of the markets are offering futures based on precious metals and stocks, utilizing their already liquid, regulated platforms for new markets. In 2026, the already adaptable crypto infrastructure is showing its ability to carry new types of crossovers between traditional finance and on-chain activity. 

Stablecoins expand on-chain roles

Stablecoins not only expanded their supply but also diversified their on-chain roles. Circle’s USDC served regulated platforms and regions where dollar-backed tokens were required. USDT kept serving P2P markets, DeFi, and global exchanges. 

Stablecoin supply started 2026 with near-peak levels, in addition to growing on-chain activity and transfer volumes. | Source: Artemis.

Stablecoin transfers still surpass VISA, as well as international remittances. The new year started with peak address activity for P2P payments and general transfers, moving up to $3.4T in reported volume per month. 

Stablecoin senders almost doubled to 2.3M addresses, with the biggest activity still happening on Ethereum. 

Prediction markets keep growing in mainstream adoption

Prediction markets are setting new records in early 2026, after a peak year. After an initial activity slowdown, prediction markets opened new pairs and drew in both crypto natives and mainstream users. 

Polymarket and Kalshi remain the leaders, but other platforms are also showing significant demand for predictions. On-chain activity not only depends on direct bets, but also on oracle and voting activity for resolutions. 

Creator assets are emerging as a new class

In a bid to generate value, crypto projects are turning to creators or prominent personalities. Creator tokens are emerging as a trend on Solana, but the original idea came from the Base chain. 

Creator, news meme tokens, and similar content-based assets vary widely in their trading lifecycle. Some of the creator tokens aim for longevity, while others are used to support creators and are often sold for profit or rug-pulled. 

The emergence of new types of memes shows the market continues to evolve, instead of stalling once the initial meme trends ended. 

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