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As we enter 2026, the cryptocurrency industry is at a turning point. The regulatory fog that has long surrounded digital assets is finally beginning to lift, institutional players are moving from the margins to the playing field, and the definition of what constitutes an “asset” is being rewritten.
Few people have a better perspective on these transformations than… Yat seoco-founder and CEO of Brands Animoca. We sat down with Siu to discuss what the new year has in store for Web3 – and why he believes companies are facing a tough choice: code or die.
New year, new era for altcoins
Siu admits that Bitcoin has earned its status as “digital gold”, but as 2026 begins, he sees the real events happening elsewhere. “Most people don’t get into crypto to buy Bitcoin,” he notes. “It comes through tokens that offer some sort of benefit – whether it’s DeFi, gaming, NFTs, or anything at all.”
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He draws an analogy with traditional markets: no company is close to the market capitalization of gold, but the global stock market is much, much higher. “The same dynamic is taking shape in cryptocurrencies. What excites me about this year is that the opportunities are no longer only in the launch of new tokens – they are in tokens that are already proven.”
This is a pattern that Seo has seen before. “Think about what happened after the dot-com crash. Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Netize – they didn’t go away. They came back stronger. I think 2026 will see the beginning of a similar renaissance for the established Web3 players.”
The year when the regulations finally become clear
If there is one development that SEO is following closely this year, it is destiny CLARITY LAW In the United States Congress. Building on the foundation established by the GENIUS Stablecoins Act, the CLARITY Act aims to establish clear legal boundaries between the SEC and CFTC on digital assets.
“I am confident that the Clarity Act will pass in 2026,” says Seo. “And when it happens, it will lead to a wave of tokenization that we have never seen before – from Fortune 500 companies to small capitals. The uncertainty that has held back so many players will finally be lifted.”
He sees this regulatory clarity as the key that unlocks widespread corporate adoption. “The companies were waiting outside, not because they did not see the potential, but because they could not navigate the legal ambiguity. This year, that anxiety has disappeared.”
Institutions go from spectators to participants
The introduction of crypto funds in recent years marked a turning point, but Siu believes that 2026 will always be remembered as the year in which institutional adoption changed from experimentation to strategy. “What we see now is just the beginning. RWA and stablecoins will drive the narrative for institutional players this year.”
He brings Real World Asset Tokenization (RWA) especially its transformative potential. “RWA provides something that crypto has always promised, but has struggled to deliver on a large scale: true financial inclusion. We are talking about crypto wallets for the unbanked, and access to yield-generating products previously reserved for the rich. This is the year that these promises begin to come true.”
Current estimates suggest that tokenized RWAs could reach $30 trillion in the next decade. The adoption of institutional quality frameworks, such as the EU’s MiCA regulation, gives major banks and asset managers the confidence they need to engage with public blockchains. “The infrastructure is ready. The regulations are starting to be implemented. Now it’s a matter of implementation.”
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The post-accident playbook returns
You see clear parallels between the current moment and the years after the dotcom collapse. “The funding cycle has evolved dramatically. In the early days of Web3, the biggest opportunities were in highly anticipated token launches. This is no longer the case.”
Today, investing in tokens with liquidity and market presence has become the norm. “After the dot-com bust, companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, and eBay didn’t just survive – they became much bigger. The same model will be repeated in Web3, but with a new twist: We will also see the big technological players – like Google and the meta of the world – enter the space in a significant way.”
This change requires a different skill set from investors. “The situation has become more complex now. Success in this environment requires greater analytical skills. The easy money to catch the next hot launch is largely out.”
“Everything will become an asset class”
When asked about his boldest prediction for the coming years, Siu did not hesitate: “Everything will become an asset class through tokenization. Intellectual property, royalties, advertising inventory – if it has value, tokenize it.”
He acknowledges that tokenized RWAs are still fragmented across chains and markets today, but sees consolidation and growth in the future. “The technology is ready. What was missing was regulatory clarity and institutional trust. Both pieces are starting to fade.”
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There is also a generational dimension to this change. “Cryptocurrencies are becoming an asset class for the younger generations, as the Internet and social media definitely divided the previous generation. Any company that wants to reach this audience effectively will need strategies that integrate tokenization. It is no longer optional.”
Blockchain technology is fading into the background
One of Siu’s counterintuitive predictions is that blockchain technology will become invisible to most users. “Think about digital music. We used to say ‘MP3’ or ‘digital download’. Now we just say ‘music’. The technology has faded into the background. The same thing has happened with blockchain.”
He points to prediction markets as an example. “I work on crypto-rails, but users don’t care about the backend. They care about the service. It’s the general adoption model: provide value, and let the blockchain do its invisible work.”
This hands-on approach opens doors across industries. “Games that use in-game assets such as non-fungible tokens (NFT). Revenue-generating products available to mainstream users. Faster payments. Digital properties. These cases will attract traditional users to cryptocurrency-based services—not because they are blockchain enthusiasts, but because these services are simply better.”
From crypto natives to crypto curious
A major change in the target audience of cryptocurrency is expected this year. “2026 will see attention from crypto natives to crypto enthusiasts. From entertainment to utility and value.”
He argues that Meme coins It was the product of regulatory ambiguity. “Until now, memecoin launches have been aimed directly at the cryptocurrency population. They have not been designed to attract mainstream users.” But as friendlier regulatory frameworks take shape around the world, this dynamic is changing.
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“Under clearer regulations, projects can openly discuss their value proposition. They no longer have to hide behind the mecoin label. The act of CLARITY will accelerate this trend, as tokens will be valued based on their current utility, and those that do not have a real value will have a difficult time surviving.”
Financial literacy becomes essential
As we look to the rest of 2026 and beyond, Siu sees emerging financial literacy as a critical skill. “Cryptocurrencies already solve real problems – reducing transfer costs, improving access to income generation, allowing participation in previously restricted opportunities.”
Cryptocurrencies are expected to penetrate deeper into the everyday financial infrastructure. “Student loans, consumer credit, and eventually unsecured loans – cryptocurrencies will become part of financial solutions that impact the lives of ordinary people.”
This reflects the digital culture revolution of the 1990s and 2000s. “At the time, companies had to become digitally literate or risk losing relevance. Consumers followed suit. The same pattern is repeated now with financial literacy. Coding leads to finance, and people who develop financial literacy will have many more opportunities.”
Coding or death
Seo concludes with a message that combines a warning and an appeal for the coming year.
“Companies that do not tokenize their assets – making them accessible to AI systems and the fluidity of Web 3 – will become less relevant. We have seen this movie before: traditional companies that ignored the Internet lost to competitors like Amazon and Steam. The same fate awaits companies that ignore tokenization.”
He pauses, then repeats the phrase that has become a kind of personal motto: “Code or die. This is not a prediction of a distant future. This is the reality of 2026.”
