Arthur Hayes Predicts Drastic Changes in Cryptocurrency by 2026

Arthur Hayes just dropped a bombshell—and the crypto world is scrambling to adjust its timelines.

By 2026, Hayes sees the entire digital asset landscape undergoing a seismic shift. It's not about incremental growth; it's about foundational change. The institutions currently dipping their toes? They'll be diving headfirst. The regulatory gray areas? Expect hard lines to be drawn—or cleverly circumvented.

The Infrastructure Flip

Forget trading memecoins on your phone. The real action will shift to the backbone of finance. Hayes points to a complete overhaul of settlement layers, custody solutions, and even how national reserves are managed. Legacy systems creak under their own weight—blockchain networks slice through the red tape.

Capital on the Move

Where does the money go? It floods into protocols that solve real problems, not just promise speculative returns. Tokenization of everything from real estate to carbon credits moves from pilot to production. The narrative pivots from 'store of value' to 'engine of efficiency'—a boring but brutally effective shift that leaves laggards behind. (Take that, traditional finance bean-counters obsessed with quarterly earnings.)

The New Power Players

The winners won't just be the usual exchange giants. They'll be the builders of interoperable bridges, the designers of bulletproof decentralized identity, and the teams that make blockchain invisible to the end-user. Adoption stops being a buzzword and starts being a utility bill you pay without thinking.

Hayes's prediction isn't a gentle forecast—it's a countdown. The clock starts now.

Arthur Hayes, a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency world, recently shared significant forecasts regarding the future of cryptocurrencies. He evaluated the current state and predictions for 2026, closely followed by investors, with notable influence on the recent ZEC Coin rise. Hayes provides a compelling outlook on which cryptocurrencies will withstand the shifting tides and which may not.

Ethereum and Solana: Survivors of the Future

Hayes made a striking statement about almost all layer1 solutions, except for Solana$132 and Ethereum$3,200, possibly dropping to zero. He believes major banks transitioning to cryptocurrencies and Web3 will base their products primarily on Ethereum. This decision stems from the belief that Ethereum’s substantial growth will be backed by its robust infrastructure. Hayes is optimistic about Ethereum’s future, expecting it to play a pivotal role in the overall crypto market‘s expansion.

Concerning Solana, Hayes emphasizes the power of memecoins, maintaining that it will survive as the second best smart contract network. However, he believes solana needs a new growth narrative and is skeptical about its potential to surpass Ethereum.

Hayes’ Predictions for 2026

For the upcoming year, Hayes is optimistic. He comments on the current transitional period from a macroeconomic perspective, anticipating massive money printing by Trump. The expansion of liquidity for Bitcoin$90,359 and cryptocurrencies is considered a strong argument for significant upward movement.

Hayes predicts that TRUMP will take control of the Federal Reserve, shaping its policy 90% according to his preferences by 2026, contrary to popular expectations. A 20% correction in NASDAQ could trigger an immediate policy response, as the government won’t let the AI dream fail due to the corporate tax revenue and capital gains it generates, which form 1% to 1.5% of the GDP.

Japan’s new prime minister has announced the largest stimulus package since Abenomics, while Europe must print more money due to its struggle with Russia. In light of these developments, Hayes argues for a strong upward movement in cryptocurrencies.

He draws parallels to 1994, citing market recovery from LATAM debt issues in Mexico, excessive bank credits worldwide, and the emergence of a fierce technology bubble. Hayes anticipates the Trump administration will spark an even larger AI technology bubble, elevating everything upward.

Hayes also expects increased interest in Zero Knowledge Proofs and privacy altcoins next year, advising, “buy without leverage and continue to hold.”