A16z’s Bold 2026 Forecast: Stablecoins, AI, RWA, and Privacy Set to Dominate Crypto
Forget the noise—the next crypto mega-trends just got a countdown.
Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is placing its bets on 2026. Their latest market thesis? Four sectors are primed for explosive growth, ready to move from niche concepts to mainstream infrastructure.
Stablecoins: The New Digital Dollar
Think stablecoins are just for trading? Think again. The prediction sees them evolving into the backbone of global digital commerce, cutting out traditional payment rails and their associated fees. It's programmable money finally living up to its name—though Wall Street banks might need a moment to adjust their spreadsheets.
AI Meets Crypto: Beyond the Hype Cycle
Artificial intelligence won't just analyze markets; it will become a core user and governor of decentralized networks. Expect AI agents that autonomously trade, manage assets, and even participate in governance. The fusion promises efficiency but raises profound questions about autonomy in a trustless system.
Real-World Assets (RWA): Tokenizing Everything
This is where crypto gets physical. The tokenization of real-world assets—from treasury bonds to real estate—bypasses legacy custodians and unlocks liquidity for markets that have been stagnant for decades. It’s a multi-trillion-dollar promise, provided regulators don't do what they do best: overcomplicate a simple idea.
Privacy: The Non-Negotiable Frontier
As blockchain activity grows, so does the surveillance risk. The call for 2026 highlights privacy-preserving tech not as an optional add-on for the paranoid, but as a fundamental requirement for institutional and individual adoption. The future isn't transparent; it's selectively verifiable.
The message is clear: the building phase is accelerating. While the broader market chases the next meme coin, the smart money is laying groundwork in sectors built to last. Just don't expect your traditional portfolio manager to understand it—they're still trying to figure out what a 'wallet' is.
A16z released its annual report with 17 theses on what should drive the crypto market in 2026. According to them, the sectors that will see the greatest prominence and growth will be stablecoins, tokenization of real-world assets (RWA), privacy, and the integration between crypto/blockchain and artificial intelligence.
For the asset manager, stablecoins are moving away from being a specific niche and towards becoming a new basic LAYER for payments and money transfers over the internet. The tokenization of real-world assets should also evolve, moving from simple “copies” to new models more native to the crypto world, such as directly on-chain credit.
Another sector that should see significant growth is AI agents, which will create new economic models and ways to manage investments. Also, privacy markets, prediction markets, and an increasingly clean regulatory environment in the US, which could boost the entire crypto market, attracting more investment.
In short, the thesis for 2026 is that cryptocurrencies will cease to be just a financial sector and will become part of the global infrastructure, with blockchains being seen as necessary for the advancement of a connected digital economy.
DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) could be the next crypto to 100x
So, A16z released its annual list of predictions for 2026, predicting which sectors are expected to lead the crypto market next year. According to the company, this will be the year of stablecoins, RWAs, and artificial intelligence. This aligns with a report released by Gartner, which predicts that the AI sector should grow 25x by 2030.
With this perspective, DeepSnitch AI seems to be the best crypto to buy now, considering that it is an artificial intelligence project, still in presale, but already has a real working product, and users are already testing it, impressed with the technology. Its presale has been breaking records and has already surpassed $820,000, with the price rising 88%.
Investing in early-stage projects is often a great opportunity to achieve explosive gains, and if the AI sector is projected to be the fastest-growing in 2026 and grow 25x by 2030, DeepSnitch AI could easily increase by up to 100x in the long term.
But now you can further boost your gains, as the project has a bonus offer that gives 50% or even 100% more tokens to investors. The rules are simple: investors who invest over $2,000 receive 50% more tokens (just add the code DSNTVIP50), and those investing over $5,000 receive 100% more (just add the code DSNTVIP100).
Chainlink (LINK) holders expect 2026 to be a bullish year
Chainlink is definitely one of the top cryptocurrencies to buy today. After years of work and development, LINK’s infrastructure seems ready for widespread global adoption. It appears it will become the standard infrastructure for tokenizing real assets (RWAs), dominating over 70% of the market.
Several banks, such as UBS and ANZ Bank, have announced they will adopt LINK as an oracle, and even the US government has announced a partnership to bring all its government macroeconomic data on-chain. Coinbase has also chosen Chainlink’s CCIP as its exclusive solution for integration into its platforms.
Also, the top 100 Chainlink wallets accumulated over 20 million LINK (approx. $263 million) since the beginning of November. Despite all the positive news, the price has not yet been influenced, falling 15% in December.
But with so much adoption incoming, many investors believe that 2026 could finally be Chainlink’s year to explode, and that’s why it’s one of the best cryptos to buy now.
Monero (XMR) overcomes exchange delistings, aiming for a new ATH
Monero has been one of the few altcoins that didn’t suffer from the last major crash on October 10th, recovering quickly and trading well above the lows of that day. While many altcoins plummeted 20-50% or more and have yet to recover, XMR started December above $400, reaching $420 on December 17th, and accumulating a 90% gain by 2025.
Traders are anticipating a breakout above $440, which could lead the asset to test its all-time high at $515. Upcoming upgrades (Seraphis++ and Jamtis), plus recent network hardening, could help boost the price, which has already surpassed its worst moment after exchange delistings, as it is a coin that offers 100% privacy.
Despite delistings, real-world demand is rising, proving that a large portion of the market sees total privacy in transactions as “non-negotiable”. Privacy, which according to 16z should be one of the major trends for next year, making Monero the best crypto to buy now before 2026 begins.
Conclusion
Chainlink and Monero look promising for 2026; however, they are already established projects with high market caps, limiting potential gains for investors.
For those seeking explosive returns, DeepSnitch AI is the best crypto to buy now. Because it’s still in presale, it offers greater upside, with the potential to be the next crypto to reach 100x in the long term. That’s why DSNT is the best crypto to buy now.
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FAQs
1. What is DeepSnitch AI?
DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) is an AI-driven crypto project in presale with a live product already being tested and audited. It aligns with major 2026 trends like AI and blockchain integration.
2. What is the best crypto to buy now when comparing DeepSnitch AI, Chainlink, and Monero?
DeepSnitch AI offers high-growth potential as an early-stage AI presale, while Chainlink leads RWA infrastructure and Monero stands out for privacy, making each attractive for different investment profiles. So, DSNT has more upside in 2026.
3. What are the trending coins this week?
DeepSnitch AI is a trending coin this week, mainly because of its limited-time bonus offer that gives investors 50% to 100% extra tokens during the presale.
