BlackRock says that cryptocurrency and the process of tokenization will have an impact on markets in the year 2026. This means that BlackRock thinks cryptocurrency and tokenization will play a role in changing the way markets work in 2026. BlackRock believes that cryptocurrency and tokenization are going to be very important, in 2026.
BlackRock thinks that crypto and tokenization are not ideas anymore. They just put out a report and it says that these two things are going to be really important for investors who want to get into the markets in 2026 and after that. BlackRock is the company that manages assets, in the world so what they say matters. They really think that crypto and tokenization are going to change how people invest in the future.
BlackRock just came out with a report called "2026 Thematic Outlook". In this report they talk about a few things that will change the world markets. These things are crypto, tokenization, artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure. So what does this mean? It means crypto is not something people speculate about anymore. Crypto is now a part of the system. BlackRock thinks crypto, tokenization, artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure are forces that will keep changing the global markets. BlackRock believes crypto has moved on from being speculative. Now crypto is becoming a foundation of the system.
People do not think of Crypto as a side bet anymore. Crypto is now a thing. Investing in Crypto is not something people do for fun. They really believe in Crypto. Crypto is the thing, for a lot of people now.
BlackRock has made a change in the way it thinks about crypto assets. Now BlackRock sees assets as something that can really help with things like payments and making sure money moves smoothly. BlackRock used to think of crypto assets as things people buy and sell to make money but now BlackRock thinks of crypto assets as a part of the system that makes all these things work. This is a deal because crypto assets are becoming more like a real part of the way money works according to BlackRock. Crypto assets are like the roads that money travels on and BlackRock is starting to think that crypto assets are important, for making sure everything runs smoothly.
Tokenization is really important. It is like a bridge that connects style money systems and new blockchain systems. BlackRock thinks that by making things into digital tokens on the computer tokenization can make markets work better and be easier to use. This means people can buy and sell things easily. Tokenization is a deal because it can help BlackRock make markets more efficient and accessible, to everyone.
That puts cryptocurrency in the category as artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure. It is not something that you trade for a short time but rather cryptocurrency is a long-term change that will be around, for a while. Cryptocurrency is something that will change things for a time just like artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure will.
Bitcoin exchange traded funds are really showing the way for Bitcoin. The thing about Bitcoin ETFs is that they make it easy for people to buy and sell Bitcoin. Bitcoin ETFs are of, like the leaders when it comes to Bitcoin. People are looking at Bitcoin ETFs to see what will happen with Bitcoin next. Bitcoin is a deal and Bitcoin ETFs are a big part of that.
BlackRock says its Bitcoin investment fund is doing well. This shows that big institutions are getting more interested in Bitcoin. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is now the growing investment product that people can buy and sell on an exchange. BlackRock thinks this is proof that people want to invest in Bitcoin. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is growing faster, than any investment product that has been launched before.
IBIT started in 2024 and it has gotten really big. Now it has over 70 billion dollars, in assets. This makes IBIT the spot Bitcoin ETF in the United States. For BlackRock this growth shows that people are thinking about Bitcoin differently. They do not think Bitcoin is a risky bet anymore. Now they think Bitcoin is an asset that can be part of a portfolio. Bitcoin is becoming more accepted as an asset.
The way we break down things into parts could be better for Ethereum. This is because Ethereum is a deal and people like using it. Tokenization is really important, for Ethereum. Ethereum is a choice and tokenization could help it even more. Ethereum is going to be a player and tokenization is going to help Ethereum do well.
When you think about where people're using tokenization BlackRock says Ethereum is still the number one choice. They think Ethereum is the best, for this kind of thing. Ethereum is what most people are using for tokenization.
The report says that Ethereum is really big when it comes to assets. It has than 65 percent of them. Other networks like BNB Chain and Solana and Stellar are, behind. Each of these networks has a small part of the market. Ethereum is the one that has the part of the tokenized assets market.
BlackRock thinks Ethereum will do well because of this. The reason is that Ethereum is already the place where a lot of things are happening. When more things are moved to the blockchain Ethereum will probably get a part of that growth. This is because Ethereum is already the network that hosts most of this activity. So when tokenization gets bigger Ethereum stands to benefit.
Stablecoins seen as a key building block
BlackRock says that stablecoins are a result of tokenization. They are connected to money so the company thinks they are a good example of how regular assets can work on blockchain systems. BlackRock believes that stablecoins show how traditional assets can be, on blockchain rails.
As markets that use tokens get bigger BlackRock thinks people will want to put their money into things than just cash and government bonds. This means investors can buy and sell a lot of assets that are available on the chain. BlackRock expects this will happen because tokenized markets are growing. This growth will give investors access to a range of, on-chain assets, which is what BlackRock is talking about.
Other people in the business agree. There is a report from Mercado Bitcoin that says stablecoins and tokenized assets will do really well this year. It says that just stablecoins could be worth around $500 billion. Now stablecoins are worth, around $313 billion. The two biggest stablecoins are USDT and USDC.
A broader industry shift
BlackRock is not the company that thinks this way. Other big companies that manage money around the world are also looking into ways to make tokenization work. People who are leaders in this industry say that using assets on a blockchain can make it easier for people to get into the market and give more people a chance to participate in it. BlackRock and other companies, like it are really looking at how tokenization can change things.
The thing that is the same with all these predictions is that tokenization is not just for people who trade crypto anymore. Tokenization is also, about how money moves around how it is settled and how people can get to it around the world. Tokenization is really changing how capital works and tokenization is making it easier for people to access money.
For BlackRock, the takeaway is simple. Crypto may still be volatile, but its role in the financial system is becoming harder to ignore — and 2026 could be the year that shift becomes impossible to miss.