Coinbase: Crypto's role in financial system to grow in 2026

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., has projected that crypto will play a larger role in the core financial system in 2026, according to its '2026 Crypto Market Outlook' report. The exchange anticipates continued market growth, driven by clearer regulations and accelerating institutional adoption. The report states that the crypto industry is moving beyond a theoretical phase into real-world implementation, but noted the need for improvements in product quality, regulatory compliance, and user-centric design. The outlook focused on key themes including the macroeconomic environment, technological innovation, and tokenization. In the technology sector, the report highlighted privacy, the convergence of AI and crypto, application-specific blockchains, real-world asset tokenization, prediction markets, and stablecoin payments.