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According to Nic Puckrin, CEO and Co-founder of Coin Bureau, being bearish next year is difficult to justify, as several structural bullish drivers are lining up at once.
One of the biggest catalysts is the likely appointment of economist Kevin Hassett, a well-known monetary dove, as the next Federal Reserve Chair. That alone sets the stage for a softer policy environment.
Moreover, quantitative tightening has ended, rate cuts are on the horizon, and the market is preparing for a far more liquidity-rich backdrop.
Institutional access is expanding just as fast. Schwab is preparing to offer Bitcoin trading in 2026, while Vanguard has now opened access to crypto ETFs for 50 million customers.
 
Meanwhile, BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF is already posting trading volumes that rival those of major TradFi funds, as demand from traditional capital markets increases. Upgrades to U.S. bank leverage-ratio rules are also expected to unlock even more liquidity across the system.
Industry leaders have also shown optimism for 2026. CoinMarketCap’s Head of Research, Alice Liu, recently projected a “market comeback in Q1 of 2026,” with February and March expected to mark the start of the next bull cycle based on macro indicators and past cycle structure.
Meanwhile, institutional conviction is already visible on-chain. BitMine, Tom Lee’s digital-asset firm, has been aggressively buying ETH, accumulating roughly $70 million in two major purchases last week.
BitMine’s purchase follows Bitwise’s acquisition of 96,800 ETH in the same period. The firm is now 62% of the way toward its goal of holding 5% of all ETH. Moreover, Lee told CNBC he now expects Bitcoin to hit a new all-time high by the end of January.
Taken together, analysts and institutions look forward to a bullish year, not a continuation of the current bearish trends in 2026.