HashKey‘s 2026 Digital Asset Industry Outlook Reveals AI, Tokenization, Stablecoins, And Institutional Growth As Major Focus Areas
HashKey Holdings Limited, an Asian digital asset firm, in collaboration with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Digital Finance Lab, launched the “2026 Digital Asset Industry Outlook: Top 10 Emerging Trends.” The report, based mostly on business analysis and survey information, goals to focus on the important thing focus areas for business contributors concerning the longer term growth of digital belongings and to offer a reference framework for the sector.
The research was collectively initiated by HashKey and the HKUST Digital Finance Lab, with HashKey’s analysis staff contributing insights on macroeconomic situations and structural adjustments throughout the business. The HKUST Digital Finance Lab managed the design of the survey, carried out a seven-day impartial questionnaire, and carried out the statistical evaluation of the outcomes.
The survey outcomes point out that business contributors anticipate a number of key tendencies within the digital asset sector for 2026.
AI brokers are anticipated to become totally autonomous on-chain execution entities, able to independently dealing with order execution, clearing, place administration, and threat management inside sensible contract environments, successfully turning into native contributors in on-chain buying and selling, with an approval fee of 86.8%.
Asset tokenization is projected to speed up considerably, with the migration of securities to blockchain platforms representing a serious milestone. The infrastructure for on-chain registration and clearing is predicted to mature progressively and combine with decentralized finance, receiving an approval fee of 84.6%.
Stablecoin infrastructure for fiat on- and off-ramps is anticipated to bear systematic upgrades, facilitating nearer integration with real-world monetary methods and enabling stablecoins to help industrial actions. Banks and main monetary establishments are anticipated to make the most of stablecoins to drive product innovation and enterprise progress, with an approval fee of 79.4%.
Hong Kong is predicted to advance its digital asset regulatory framework, together with the licensing of stablecoins, the normalization of tokenized asset issuance, and the implementation of secondary market circulation, with an approval fee of 77.3%.
Competition between offshore and onshore exchanges is projected to accentuate, though compliance and transparency are anticipated to develop into everlasting boundaries to entry and necessary aggressive benefits, with an approval fee of 74.2%.
Selective Investment, Institutional Staking, And Advanced Infrastructure Among 2026 Major Trends
Furthermore, the survey outcomes recommend that whereas world liquidity is recovering, funding stays selective. Digital belongings proceed to supply sturdy market allocation worth, although this doesn’t point out uniform progress, with capital anticipated to stay centered on core, high-quality belongings corresponding to Bitcoin and Ethereum, receiving an approval fee of 64.7%.
Staking is coming into what’s described because the “Institutional Era,” as digital asset buying and selling and exchange-traded funds acquire mainstream acceptance, whereas liquid staking derivatives face rising regulatory scrutiny, with an approval fee of 63.6%.
Mergers and acquisitions throughout the business are projected to rise considerably, with infrastructure and compliant belongings recognized as key targets for consolidation, attaining an approval fee of 62.1%.
High-performance public chain scaling and compliant privateness options are anticipated to develop into customary, with superior privateness applied sciences corresponding to zero-knowledge proofs and totally homomorphic encryption rising as institutional-grade infrastructure norms, with an approval fee of 55.3%.
Global regulation is anticipated to enter a extra aggressive part, notably round stablecoin clearing, tokenized belongings, and institutional entry, which obtained an approval fee of 55.2%.
Overall, the survey signifies sturdy help for the convergence of AI and blockchain, asset tokenization, and stablecoin infrastructure, reflecting the business’s ongoing give attention to the deep integration of blockchain expertise and finance. Additionally, over 70% of respondents highlighted the significance of refined regulatory frameworks and market structural changes, demonstrating a shift towards institutional growth, compliance, and sustainable long-term progress.
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