Institutional investment and well-defined regulations are establishing a solid groundwork for the broader cryptocurrency sector as we enter 2026.
Key figures in the industry, such as Anthony Scaramucci, Kristin Smith, Eli Ben-Sasson, Ian Rodgers, Reeve Collins, and Joseph Chalom, shared their positive perspectives for the upcoming year following a series of favorable developments, particularly in the United States.
Cointelegraph’s recent LONGITUDE event showcased discussions centered on Solana’s expansion, growing interest in privacy protocols, and insights gained from security breaches in 2025.
“There’s been an extraordinary amount of progress in 2025, an unprecedented amount,” stated Smith. The president of the Solana Policy Institute has been deeply engaged in crypto-related discussions in Washington over the last 18 months.
“I think now that the US is catching up, policymakers globally are determining what steps to take to stay competitive and retain crypto within their jurisdictions, rather than attempting to exclude it.”
Scaramucci emphasized that educating policymakers is a crucial challenge for the traditional financial system to incorporate innovative protocols functioning on blockchain technology.
“Kristin needs to advocate in those meetings, explaining why these regulations should be enacted to facilitate the transformation of the financial system, making it more cost-effective and streamlined,” Scaramucci remarked.
The founder of SkyBridge Capital noted that conventional TradFi systems spend over $4 trillion on transaction verification worldwide. Transitioning to protocols like Ethereum and Solana, currently leading in RWA tokenization and on-chain activity, could yield unparalleled efficiency and financial benefits.
“That encompasses credit card fees, wire fees, and various other costs. If we embraced Solana for asset tokenization, we could potentially save around 75% of that, and that could be revolutionary for the global economy.”
Once again, the primary obstacle in recent years has been sluggish regulations that have hindered innovation and the capacity for institutions to explore utilizing blockchain protocols actively.
“We have the capability to do that today. Issuing a share or bond on a blockchain is relatively straightforward. The issue lies in the regulations that don’t align with trading those assets. That’s an aspect we are focusing on,” Smith explained.
Related: Scaramucci family invested over $100M in Trump’s Bitcoin mining firm: Report
Scaramucci conveyed an optimistic final message, highlighting the initiatives of America’s largest financial institutions, including BlackRock, Blackstone, and JPMorgan, to tokenize assets on blockchain platforms.
“Don’t narrowly focus in 2025 on this fleeting opportunity. Recognize the exponential technological potential that lies ahead.”
Privacy in vogue
Eli Ben-Sasson, founder of StarkWare and co-creator of the Zcash protocol, participated in an insightful fireside chat discussing the rising popularity of privacy protocols in the latter part of 2025.
“I’ve dedicated several decades to contemplating privacy, from the mathematics to product development. Privacy exists on a spectrum.”
Ben-Sasson commented on the significant interest in Zcash (ZEC) in 2025. The privacy-driven cryptocurrency, established in 2016, experienced a substantial increase in value and attention due to endorsement from prominent industry figures.
“At one end, you have what we achieved with Zcash, featuring a money resistance level of privacy. If you need to board a plane and are being pursued by the government, you can remain completely off the radar,” Ben-Sasson mentioned.
However, Ben-Sasson noted that this level of privacy comes at the expense of user experience. Offering wallets, programmability, and user experience becomes more complex with that degree of privacy. The less technical end of the spectrum addresses a highly sought-after use case.
Related: Can Zcash’s rise revive the Bitcoin OP_CAT discussion?
“Corporations will seek a different kind of privacy, distinct from what we provided with Zcash. They will desire privacy that shields their operations and customers from competitors and other clients,” he explained.
Security wake-up call
Security was another prominent topic at LONGITUDE VII, particularly given the series of high-profile hacks and security breaches in 2025.
The theft of $1.6 billion of Ether (ETH) from Bybit in March served as a wake-up call for the industry. Phemex CEO Federico Variola highlighted that social engineering and unrestricted access remain significant threats to everyday crypto users.
“Combining the social aspect of being a crypto participant with the financial aspect creates a situation where those components should never interact.”
“In the crypto realm, engaging in an airdrop or connecting your Twitter account to the MegaETH ICO exposes significant risk, yet participants often overlook this,” Variola remarked.
Related: Bybit hack: ‘Reckoning’ that led SafeWallet to rearchitect its systems
Ian Rodgers, chief experience officer at Ledger, stated that it is the responsibility of service providers and infrastructure creators to critically assess the risks faced by their platforms and users.
“Eliminating risk entirely is impossible. However, it is essential to minimize risk as much as possible, considering potential worst-case scenarios,” Rodgers noted.
Cointelegraph’s exclusive LONGITUDE events will return to the agenda in 2026, with editions scheduled for New York, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi.
