Three directions for crypto to expand its influence in 2026:

First, prediction markets are breaking out of politics. Beyond election forecasting, we're seeing real-time pricing on product launches, entertainment trends, social movements—basically anything that can be quantified becomes tradeable. The market infrastructure is there; adoption is just accelerating.

Second, crypto building blocks are finding homes outside the crypto ecosystem. Blockchain-based payments, decentralized identity systems, and coordination mechanisms are quietly infiltrating traditional industries. Companies aren't calling it "crypto" anymore, but the primitives are unmistakably there.

Third, creator-backed media models are taking shape. When creators can stake tokens to support content they believe in—directly aligning incentives between makers and audiences—the economics of content production shift fundamentally. Attention gets priced, creators earn differently, and audiences have skin in the game.