Bitcoin is probably going facing a difficult 2026 as many analysts expect the cryptocurrency to increase its decline into late 2025. But whilst prices fall, early adopters say the approaching 12 months could mark a turning point for Bitcoin's real-world utility as payments infrastructure becomes more sophisticated and using BTC as a medium of exchange becomes easier and more accessible.
According to early Bitcoin investor Michael Terpin, the worth of Bitcoin (BTC) could bottom out at around $60,000 within the fourth quarter of 2026, presenting a buying opportunity. Terpin forecast:
“The end of 2026 can be a superb time to purchase as fear-based market bottoms slowly transition into massive buying in 2028 and 2029 after the following halving results in a possible supply shock.” Bitcoin is on course to shut 2025 lower than it began the 12 months, breaking the four-year cycle theory that has dominated BTC market evaluation over the past decade. Source: Block1 Capital
Bitcoin still has a couple of 20% likelihood of reaching latest highs before the cycle low, but those possibilities decrease with each passing month, Terpin said.
A brand new Federal Reserve chair should ease macroeconomic conditions by lowering rates of interest, but when the Republican Party fails to win each houses of Congress within the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, it’s going to “cripple” the regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies, Terpin said.
It has been widely predicted that the 12 months 2025 can be an earthquake for the Bitcoin price. Several analysts predicted that BTC will rise from $180,000 to $250,000 by the top of 2025, while BTC is on course to finish the 12 months lower than the highs of over $100,000 recorded in January.
The price development of Bitcoin over the past 12 months. Source: CoinMarketCap
Despite the dip, Bitcoin payment infrastructure and use cases will grow in 2026
“The 12 months 2025 made it easier to carry Bitcoin and earn income from it,” said early Bitcoin adopter and blockchain software developer Rich Rines. “2026 should make actual use easier.”
Bitcoin neobanks, digital infrastructure firms that provide online banking services, and Bitcoin-backed stablecoins will boost using Bitcoin as a medium of exchange, Rines said.
Payments company Square has integrated Bitcoin payments into its point-of-sale systems, allowing merchants to just accept BTC as payment and mechanically convert 1% of their total sales into BTC in the event that they wish.
The white paper on the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Source: Bitcoin Lightning Network
The Bitcoin Lightning Network, a Layer 2 scaling solution that allows using BTC for payments, reduces friction by opening payment channels between parties, where only the web balance of the payment channel is recorded in a final transaction on the BTC ledger.
