A major tech corporation is expected to incorporate a cryptocurrency wallet by 2026, with several Fortune 100 companies launching their own blockchains, as predicted by Dragonfly’s managing partner Haseeb Qureshi.
He also suggested that fintech firms aiming to introduce Layer 1 blockchains to rival public chains like Ethereum and Solana will struggle to gain sufficient user engagement.
In a post on X this Monday, Qureshi mentioned that much of the adoption among Fortune 100 is likely to stem from the banking and fintech sectors, with many adopting the Avalanche blockchain along with existing crypto tools like OP stack, Orbit, and ZK Stack. This approach allows these networks to maintain privacy and permissioned access while still connecting to public blockchains.
Some Fortune 100 companies in financial services have already developed private blockchains, including JPMorgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and IBM, although many of these initiatives are still in testing or limited use stages.
Earlier this month, crypto investment firm Galaxy Digital forecasted that at least one Fortune 500 bank, cloud provider, or eCommerce platform will unveil a Layer 1 blockchain capable of settling over $1 billion in real economic activity by 2026, paving the way for decentralized finance accessibility.
Qureshi also anticipates that one of the major tech companies influencing digital life—possibly Google, Meta, or Apple—will launch or acquire a crypto wallet in 2026, which could facilitate the entry of billions of users into the crypto space.
Public fintech chains won’t challenge Ethereum’s supremacy
However, Qureshi remains skeptical about new Layer 1 blockchains developed by fintech companies, asserting that they will not attract enough users or network activity to rival established networks like Ethereum and Solana.
“Despite the hype surrounding the latest fintech chains, their performance metrics will disappoint.” Daily active addresses, stablecoin activity, and RWAs—Tempo, Arc, and Robinhood Chain will underperform, while Ethereum and Solana will thrive.”
“Top developers will continue to focus on neutral infrastructure chains,” Qureshi noted.
Bitcoin to exceed $150K but risk losing market share
On the topic of price predictions, the Dragonfly executive anticipates Bitcoin will trade above $150,000 by the end of 2026, but believes Bitcoin’s market share will decline.
Galaxy Digital opted not to make a definitive prediction, stating that 2026 is expected to be “too tumultuous” for accurate forecasting, with prices potentially fluctuating between $50,000 and $250,000 by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Qureshi forecasts that the $312 billion stablecoin market will expand by 60% in 2026, with leading stablecoin Tether (USDT) seeing its dominance decrease from 60% to 55%.
Qureshi optimistic about prediction markets, cautious on AI in crypto
Prediction markets are expected to thrive next year, but Qureshi believes AI will find limited applications in crypto, primarily for security purposes.
Related: 2026 is the year Ethereum starts scaling exponentially with ZK tech
“AI agents will still not be ‘transacting’ or spending any significant money by 2026,” Qureshi stated, predicting that no effective solutions will arise to combat spambot proliferation on social media platforms.
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