Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan Forecasts 2026 as Crypto's Real Bull Market Year

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan has reinforced his prediction that 2026 will be the real bull year for cryptocurrencies, citing strong fundamentals such as institutional investment, tokenization, and regulatory progress. Speaking at The Bridge conference in New York City, Hougan explained that the absence of a late-2025 rally actually strengthens this outlook, as it avoids a premature peak that could lead to a bear market similar to 2018 or 2022.

Hougan emphasized that underlying forces like institutional adoption and tokenization of real-world assets are "too big to keep down," with major firms like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Franklin Templeton still in early stages of integrating blockchain technology. He noted that once these systems mature, trillions of dollars could flow into the crypto space, driving sustained growth.

Regarding market cycles, Hougan aligned his forecast with Bitcoin's historical pattern post-halving, where peaks typically occur within 12 to 18 months, pointing to 2026 as the next major surge. He also addressed current market dynamics, attributing recent pullbacks to "crypto-native retail" investors who have been discouraged by events like the FTX collapse and memecoin volatility, while traditional retail investors are increasingly entering the market through spot crypto ETFs.

Hougan remains optimistic about specific assets, suggesting Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana could set new highs by 2026, though he tempered more aggressive predictions from other analysts. Additionally, he highlighted Uniswap's fee switch proposal as a potential catalyst for renewed interest in decentralized finance protocols in the coming year.