Coinbase Sees ETFs, Stablecoins and Tokenization Driving Crypto Adoption in 2026

Crypto adoption is ready to speed up in 2026 as momentum from exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stablecoins, tokenization and clearer regulation begins to strengthen itself, in response to Coinbase’s head of funding analysis, David Duong.

In a year-end outlook shared on X this week, Duong mentioned 2025 marked a turning level for the digital asset sector, with regulated spot ETFs opening the door for broader investor entry, company crypto treasuries gaining traction, and stablecoins and tokenized belongings changing into extra embedded in conventional monetary workflows.

Coinbase: ETFs, Stablecoins and Tokenization Set to Accelerate in 2026

These traits, Duong argued, are prone to strengthen quite than fade.

“We count on these forces to compound in 2026 as ETF approval timelines compress, stablecoins take a bigger position in delivery-vs-payment constructions, and tokenized collateral is acknowledged extra broadly throughout conventional transactions,” he mentioned.

While crypto adoption has grown extra progressively than early evangelists as soon as predicted, the trajectory has remained steady.

Data from analytics platform Demand Sage exhibits international crypto adoption fluctuating inside a slender band over the previous two years, starting from 10.3% in the primary quarter of 2023 to 9.9% in the primary quarter of 2025.

Duong steered that this steadiness displays a maturing market quite than stagnation.

A key catalyst for the following part, he mentioned, is regulatory readability. In 2025, a number of main jurisdictions moved to formalize crypto oversight, reshaping how establishments consider danger and deploy capital.

https://t.co/BY2Fr5Y0oj

— David Duong (@DavidDuong) December 31, 2025

In the United States, lawmakers superior stablecoin laws by way of the GENIUS Act, offering a clearer framework for dollar-pegged tokens and fee use circumstances.

In Europe, the rollout of the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation has introduced higher consistency to licensing and compliance throughout member states.

“The sensible consequence is actual operational readiness,” Duong mentioned, pointing to clearer coverage guardrails that permit corporations to construct merchandise, scale infrastructure and combine crypto rails into funds and settlement programs.

Coinbase: Crypto Demand Broadens as Institutions and Macro Forces Take the Lead

Beyond regulation, Duong additionally identified a structural shift in demand.

Crypto markets are not pushed by a single narrative or dominated by early adopters. Instead, a broader mixture of establishments, allocators and end-users is shaping flows, tying crypto publicity to macroeconomic circumstances, technological progress and geopolitical developments.

“Demand not hinges on a single story,” he mentioned, including that crypto is more and more considered by way of a long-term strategic lens because it turns into a part of mainstream monetary structure.

Last month, Coinbase agreed to acquire The Clearing Company because it plans to scale prediction markets and advance its ambition of changing into an “Everything Exchange.”

Prior to this, Coinbase filed lawsuits against the US states of Michigan, Illinois, and Connecticut, escalating a rising authorized struggle over who has the authority to manage prediction markets in the United States.

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