17 Must-Do Items for Cryptocurrency in 2026: How a16z is Redefining Industry Direction

Investment giant a16z Crypto has released a compelling annual outlook, listing 17 key initiatives that the cryptocurrency industry should focus on by 2026. This list breaks away from the old routine of “only discussing prices and trading,” instead emphasizing infrastructure development, privacy protection, and innovation in internet business models. In other words, this is not a list of investment visions but a product roadmap for developers.

Stablecoins: From Payment Tools to Financial Operating Systems

a16z believes that the value of stablecoins goes far beyond serving as virtual cash in digital wallets. The core idea is: The internet is becoming a bank.

Specifically, by 2026, there is a need to build smarter stablecoin entry and exit systems, while promoting the native tokenization of real-world assets. The key here is to change the mindset—rather than forcibly porting traditional financial assets onto the blockchain, design them from the ground up according to encryption logic.

If stablecoins and tokenized assets reach sufficient scale and gain regulatory approval, any application can directly embed core financial functions like payments and yield settlement, allowing users to bypass traditional financial intermediaries. This marks a shift of crypto from an “asset class” to an “infrastructure layer.”

Upgrading Identity Verification: From Know Your Customer to Know Your Agent

As software agents and automation services begin executing transactions on behalf of users, traditional KYC (Know Your Customer) rules are becoming outdated. a16z introduces a new concept: KYA (Know Your Agent).

This means that regulatory and compliance logic should shift from focusing on “the real person behind” to examining “the agent’s logic, reputation, and operational limits.” This transformation has far-reaching implications, affecting custody policies, on-chain dispute resolution, and more.

Artificial Intelligence and Crypto: Cooperation or Competition?

Interestingly, a16z views AI as a collaborator in the crypto ecosystem rather than a rival, but also highlights hidden threats.

On one hand, AI can be used for in-depth research and complex calculations. On the other hand, AI agents browsing, aggregating, and trading content might quietly “drain” value from original creators—referred to as the “invisible tax.” This could undermine the current internet economy model, which relies on advertising and subscriptions.

Solutions involve both technology and economics: micro-attribute tracking, nano-level payments, new sponsorship content models—these require rebalancing incentives among agents, creators, and platforms.

Privacy: The Last Bastion of the Crypto Industry

a16z emphasizes that privacy is becoming the most critical defensive wall in the crypto ecosystem.

The background is: if blockchain networks are to support real economic activities (wages, healthcare, identity-linked financial services), they must provide privacy protections beyond current public chain standards. This means industry investment in privacy computing, better zero-knowledge proof tools, and system architectures that prioritize privacy as a core design principle.

Six Specific Priorities Not to Be Overlooked

In addition to the macro directions above, several particularly pragmatic points are included among the 17 priorities listed by a16z:

• Decentralized, quantum-resistant messaging systems: laying the foundation for communication security
• Rise of staking media: media and experts signaling their credibility through tokenized rights
• Native tokenization of real-world assets: enabling RWA (Real World Assets) to be traded and priced smoothly in crypto markets

These specific directions reflect the core logic of a16z’s thesis: Technological progress is necessary but not sufficient. Breakthroughs in legal, economic, and product layers must advance in tandem to unlock blockchain’s full potential.

Regulation: The Final Mile

a16z concludes by emphasizing that a legal framework compatible with blockchain architecture will be the key to success.

For most items on the list—tokenized banking functions, regulated stablecoins, institutional custody with privacy protections, clear regulatory guidance—the legal infrastructure will determine whether these ideas can scale from pilot projects to mainstream applications.

As a16z puts it: the future of technology is already sufficiently clear to guide us in building; what’s missing now is the follow-up in policy and legal infrastructure.

The Crypto Landscape in 2026

Combining these 17 priorities, the crypto industry in 2026 should look like this: no longer characterized by volatility, but by strong infrastructure; serving as the payment and settlement layer of the internet; providing new economic models for creators in the AI era; and supporting privacy-focused networks capable of handling real on-chain financial activities.

Whether this task list can be completed, and whether regulators will allow large-scale deployment, are the two key questions that will determine the true prospects of the crypto industry in the coming year.