By Dovile Silenskyte, Director, Digital Assets Research, WisdomTree

Crypto’s next phase is not about survival or price discovery. It is about implementation.

As we head into 2026, the edge no longer comes from spotting the next narrative. It comes from treating crypto as a portfolio allocation: accessed cleanly, sized deliberately and governed with discipline.

For investors who approach it this way, crypto is increasingly less exotic and more usable.

Why this matters now

Crypto has moved on from its retail-led, boom-bust adolescence. Infrastructure largely works, regulation is tightening rather than retreating and capital is behaving more like institutional capital.

This changes the rules of engagement.

The key shift is subtle but…