Author: CoinFound,A TradFi × Crypto Data Technology Company
On January 21, CoinFound officially released the "CoinFound Annual Report: TradFi x Crypto 2026 Outlook." This report focuses on the deep integration trends between TradFi and Crypto. Below is a summary of the report's content:
2025 is the "tipping point for integration," and 2026 will enter an acceleration period for "programmable finance."
The report distills 8 Mega Forces and 7 trend outlooks: from Stablecoin 2.0 competing for global payment infrastructure, to RWA moving from "issuance" to "utility," and key variables such as stock tokenization, and the divergence and concentration of DATs.
2025 Timeline of Key Events for Traditional Finance x Crypto
In 2026, the following macro trends will impact the TradeFi x Crypto field:
- Fiat System Trust Crisis and Return to Hard Assets: Facing a global debt spiral and "fiscal dominance" risks, institutions are accelerating allocations to "hard assets" like gold, Bitcoin, and commodities to hedge against fiat currency credit erosion.
- Geopolitics Driving the Implementation of Parallel Clearing Systems: The need for "de-weaponization" of financial infrastructure is pushing blockchain as an alternative settlement solution independent of SWIFT, with atomic settlement mechanisms effectively reducing trust and counterparty risks in cross-border transactions.
- AI Productivity Monetization and the Rise of Machine Payments: The focus of AI investment is shifting from computing hardware to generating economic productivity, spurring a rigid demand from AI Agents for compliant stablecoins and on-chain automatic settlement to achieve value attribution between machines.
- Energy as a Core Asset and the Infrastructure-ization of Mining Companies: Power shortages are driving mining companies to transform into "hybrid computing centers." Their scarce power access rights (Time-to-Power) are triggering acquisitions by tech giants, driving the revaluation of mining companies towards data center infrastructure.
- On-Chain Assets (RWA) Moving from Issuance to Utility: Asset tokenization is entering the "programmable finance" stage. RWA is no longer just a digital certificate but serves as 24/7 core collateral, significantly enhancing the capital efficiency of repo markets and全域 liquidity.
- Private Credit Faces Stress Tests and Transparent Transformation: The 2026 debt maturity wave may trigger default risks, forcing the industry to shift from "black boxes" to real-time on-chain transparent audits based on zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) to avoid DeFi chain liquidation crises.
- Infrastructure Moves from Fragmented Competition to Giant Consolidation: The market is entering a consolidation period similar to the telecommunications industry. Payment and financial giants are acquiring stablecoin middleware and custodians to secure their positions, eliminating redundancy and building compliance moats. Emerging markets shift from speculation to structural dependence: Crypto assets have deepened into underlying tools for payments and remittances in emerging markets. Vast real-user scenarios make them a core hub connecting traditional financial assets with global retail liquidity.
The trend outlook for 2026 is as follows:
1. Structural explosion in the RWA market, stablecoins forming a base of a 3200 billion market, equities and commodities becoming new growth points
2. Stablecoins enter the 2.0 era, moving from crypto payments to competing for global payment infrastructure
3. Stock tokenization liquidity may grow rapidly, DeFi integration will be key
4. Private credit RWA shifts to "asset-driven," may accelerate differentiation under "default" risk pressure
5. Gold and commodity RWA usher in a new era of "full asset collateral"
6. RWA liquidity will further concentrate, three types of RWA assets are gaining favor with exchanges
7. The "rise" of crypto concept stocks, the "divergence" and "concentration" of DATs
Summary
2025 Summary: 2025 was a year of "demystification and integration" for TradeFi and Crypto. Blockchain technology is being还原 (restored) from the光环 (halo) of "revolution" to an efficient bookkeeping and settlement technology. The success of treasury RWA proved the feasibility of putting traditional assets on-chain, and the full entry of giants like BlackRock provided irreversible credit endorsement for the industry.
2026 Prediction: 2026 will be a year of "secondary market explosion and credit expansion." We judge:
- Liquidity Explosion: With the improvement of infrastructure, RWA will shift from "hold-to-earn" to "high-frequency trading."
- Credit Downward Drift: Asset classes will drift down from high-credit government bonds to corporate bonds, stocks, and emerging market credit. Risk Premium will become a new source of yield.
- Risk Warning: As the scale of RWA expands, the complexity of off-chain default transmission to on-chain liquidation will be the biggest systemic risk.
In 2026, both TradeFi and Crypto will be unified under the banner of "On-chain Finance."
Full report link for "CoinFound Annual Report: TradFi x Crypto 2026 Outlook": https://app.coinfound.org/zh/research/4
