Dragonfly’s Haseeb Qureshi Predicts Crypto’s Defining Trends Will Dominate 2026

Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at crypto-focused venture capital firm Dragonfly, believes 2026 will be a pivotal year for the cryptocurrency industry, marked not by radical resets but by the maturation of long-running trends. In a Dec. 29 post on X, Qureshi shared a detailed outlook suggesting that durability, real-world usage, and distribution will outweigh hype-driven experimentation, even as markets experience sharp volatility.

Qureshi predicts that Bitcoin could finish 2026 above $150,000, while representing a smaller percentage of the total crypto market. He views this not as a weakening of Bitcoin’s dominance, but as evidence that broader on-chain activity can expand while Bitcoin continues to serve as crypto’s core anchor asset. Growth, in his view, will increasingly come from adjacent ecosystems rather than attempts to replace Bitcoin’s role.

He expressed skepticism toward newer fintech-branded blockchains, arguing that strong narratives and fundraising momentum are unlikely to translate into sustained adoption. Metrics such as wallet activity, stablecoin usage, and tokenized real-world assets may fall short of optimistic projections. Instead, Qureshi expects developer interest to remain focused on neutral, composable infrastructure, with Ethereum and Solana continuing to outperform expectations despite competition from emerging networks.

Corporate adoption is another major theme in his 2026 outlook. Qureshi anticipates deeper involvement from large technology and financial services firms, predicting that at least one major tech company will launch or acquire a crypto wallet. He also expects more Fortune 100 companies to deploy blockchain-based systems integrated with banking and fintech operations, highlighting Avalanche and rollup frameworks as potential beneficiaries.

In decentralized finance, Qureshi foresees consolidation rather than fragmentation. A small number of dominant platforms are likely to control most on-chain perpetual futures trading, while innovation shifts toward advanced derivatives, liquidity mechanisms, and negotiated execution models. However, he warns that increased sophistication could bring reputational risks, including a high-profile DeFi insider trading scandal.

Qureshi is most confident about the future of payments and stablecoins. He expects stablecoin supply to grow significantly in 2026, remaining largely dollar-denominated, with distribution channels and new payment rails driving mainstream adoption, particularly in emerging markets. He also predicts progress on U.S. crypto market structure legislation, alongside increased political scrutiny of crypto-related ventures.