Crypto 2026 Outlook: Dragonfly’s Rob Hadick on Bitcoin’s Future

Dragonfly general partner Rob Hadick projects a constructive 2026 for cryptocurrency markets, citing continued momentum for Bitcoin and Ethereum alongside accelerating adoption of tokenized assets. His outlook arrives as multiple industry figures forecast a potential decade-long bull run following what some describe as a bear market in 2025.

In a December 2024 interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Hadick emphasized the importance of long-term perspective when evaluating Bitcoin’s performance. He noted that Bitcoin gained approximately 26% from the day before the 2024 election, while the Nasdaq rose about 28% over the same period.

Over a two-year timeframe, Bitcoin doubled in value compared to a 50% gain for the Nasdaq. Hadick expects improved monetary policy and growing adoption of tokenized assets to drive continued momentum in 2026.

Ethereum and Solana: Two Parallel Ecosystems

When asked whether Ethereum or Solana would dominate, Hadick rejected the winner-take-all framework. He described both networks as comparable to “two Facebooks” rather than a Facebook versus MySpace competition.

Ethereum currently hosts most stablecoins and serves as the primary venue for core economic activity. Solana has carved out advantages in high-frequency trading and transaction efficiency with lower costs.

Hadick argued that a single blockchain cannot support the entire tokenized asset ecosystem. Both networks are expected to develop in parallel across different use cases as on-chain activity expands.

Sharplink Gaming, the second-largest public Ethereum treasury company, holds 797,704 ETH worth approximately $2.33 billion. Chalom forecasts Ethereum’s total value locked could surge tenfold in 2026.

Over half of total stablecoin activity currently occurs on Ethereum. The network’s TVL stands at around $68.20 billion according to DeFiLlama data.

Chalom also expects the tokenized real-world asset market to reach $300 billion in 2026. He cited growing interest from JPMorgan, Franklin Templeton, and BlackRock as major catalysts.

Hadick mentioned Monad as an emerging project worth watching, with a valuation around $2 billion. However, he cautioned that early-stage risks remain elevated in crypto token launches.

Despite recent volatility, Hadick dismissed concerns about a new crypto winter. He attributed negative sentiment to recency bias rather than fundamental weakness in the market.

Crypto Stablecoins and Prediction Markets Set for Explosive Growth

Hadick pointed to stablecoins as a major growth driver, citing McKinsey data showing that 3% of all cross-border payments now occur through stablecoins. This figure rose from essentially zero just one-year prior. He expects another tenfold increase in stablecoin adoption, declaring the technology is here to stay.

Meanwhile, Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom echoed this sentiment, predicting the stablecoin market will reach $500 billion by the end of 2026.

In 2026, I believe Ethereum’s Total Value Locked (TVL) will increase 10X. Why and how? 🧵

Views ≠ investment advice.

— Joseph Chalom (@joechalom) December 26, 2025

The current total stablecoin market capitalization stands at approximately $308.46 billion. A move to $500 billion would represent a 62% increase from current levels.

Prediction markets also emerged as a key growth area in Hadick’s analysis. He highlighted Polymarket‘s surge from $50 million monthly volume in early 2024 to approximately $4 billion monthly at present.

Only about 35% of Polymarket’s volume comes from sports betting. Hadick referenced his conversation with ICE’s Jeff Sprecher, who believes prediction markets could grow as large as ICE itself.

Insurance companies are already exploring prediction markets for hedging weather-related risks. Hadick suggested every market and outcome that can be structured as a binary option will eventually be tokenized.

Jan3 founder Samson Mow offered an even more bullish perspective on December 27, 2025. He suggested that 2025 represented the bear market and that Bitcoin may be entering a decade-long bull run extending into 2035.

2025 was the bear market. https://t.co/1ganX0YSbI

— Samson Mow (@Excellion) December 26, 2025

Meanwhile, Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan characterized the coming years as a period of steady but not spectacular returns. He forecasts lower volatility with consistent upward movement over the next ten years.