Dragonfly Partner Predicts BTC at $150K and Major Shifts in 2026

Highlights:

• Dragonfly partner has outlined his 2026 predictions, spanning cryptocurrencies, DeFi, stablecoins, AI, and crypto regulations.
• He predicted that Bitcoin could be worth as high as $150,000 by the end of 2026.
• Stablecoin supply will also grow, while Tether continues to dominate.

Haseeb Qureshi, a managing partner at Dragonfly, has outlined his predictions for 2026. According to his lengthy post on X, next year will be full of surprises, with strong gains in some areas and clear disappointments in others. A notable aspect of his predictions was that Bitcoin (BTC) could reach $150,000 by the end of next year. However, its market dominance will drop as altcoins will gain more momentum.

Dragonfly partner Haseeb Qureshi published his 2026 crypto and AI outlook, forecasting BTC could top $150,000 by year-end while its dominance declines. He expects ETH and Solana to remain strong, but several “fintech L1s” to underdeliver, and predicts at least one Big Tech firm…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 30, 2025

Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Outlook in 2026

Qureshi notes that while new fintech blockchains are gaining significant traction now, their real-world adoption could disappoint in 2026. Metrics such as daily active users, stablecoin transfers, and real-world asset integration will likely underperform on chains like Tempo, Arc, and Robinhood Chain. In contrast, Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) are expected to perform better as developers still prefer neutral and open networks for building long-term products. 

The managing partner also predicted that a major tech firm like Google, Meta, or Apple may either launch or acquire a crypto wallet in 2026. More Fortune 100 companies are also expected to launch their blockchains. “Expect Avalanche (AVAX) to be a standout here, alongside OP stack, Orbit, and ZK Stack,” he added. 

For Monad, Qureshi predicted that its usage could rise later in 2026 despite losing relevance earlier this year. At least three more blockchains will connect to DoubleZero to improve its speed and performance. This could push DoubleZero’s stake on Solana to over 80%.

Large Platforms Set to Dominate the DeFi Space

The market for perpetual trading platforms is expected to shrink into a small group of leaders. Roughly three large platforms may control most of the volume, while many smaller firms compete for the leftovers. Stock-based perpetuals trading will surge, making up over 20% of DeFi perpetuals volume by year-end. Quote trading requests will also grow faster than traditional order books and automated market makers (AMM), across both spot and perpetual markets.

For stablecoins, their supply will grow by roughly 60% next year, with the US dollar still backing them. Tether’s share of the stablecoin market may drop to about 55%. However, it will remain the largest player in the stablecoin space. Stablecoin-linked debit cards could see tenfold growth. These cards may become the main path for stablecoins’ adoption in developing markets, and Rain could be the biggest winner in this space.

It’s that time again—as 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to drop 2026 predictions.

I think 2026 is going to surprise, both to the upside and to the downside. Organized by category:

Macro / Chains
* $BTC is > $150K by year-end, but BTC dominance decreases in 2026.
* Despite the…

— Haseeb ＞|＜ (@hosseeb) December 29, 2025

Dragonfly Partner Speaks on Regulations, Politics, and Artificial Intelligence Outlook for 2026

Clarity Act could become law in 2026. If Democrats dominate the US House, investigations could be launched into crypto projects linked to Trump. Subpoenas could expose poorly structured deals, leading to public scrutiny, while Trump is expected to deny direct involvement. Prediction markets are also expected to continue growing as legal fights over sports betting rules intensify. However, there will be no major resolution next year. Polymarket will gain a stronger cultural influence, with odds appearing across many online spaces.

Qureshi stated:

“As Polymarket expands, it will win more domestic market share from Robinhood and sportsbooks.” 

Unlike Polymarket, most new prediction market products launched by other platforms are expected to fail, as users will stick to Polymarket, Robinhood, Kalshi, and other established sportsbooks. For Artificial Intelligence (AI), Dragonfly partner predicted it will be used mainly for coding and security work, while other use cases will remain experimental.

Qureshi predicted:

“AI will be used for attack and defence in cybersecurity. There will be more hacks, but smaller sizes. Defensive AI will get integrated into CI/CD pipelines to provide better monitoring.”