Coinbase’s head of research said the forces that drove crypto in 2025, such as regulation, ETFs, stablecoins and tokenization, will only get stronger in the coming year.
Momentum from crypto exchange-traded funds, stablecoins, tokenization, along with clearer regulations, is set to compound in 2026, accelerating crypto adoption, according to Coinbase’s head of investment research, David Duong.
In a year-end wrap-up posted to X on Wednesday, Duong said 2025 saw spot exchange-traded funds create regulated access to crypto, digital asset treasuries emerge as new corporate balance-sheet vehicles, and tokenization and stablecoins moving deeper into core financial workflows.
“We expect these forces to compound in 2026 as ETF approval timelines compress, stablecoins take a larger role in delivery-vs-payment (DvP) structures, and tokenized collateral is recognized more broadly across traditional transactions,” he said.
