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Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson shared one interesting prospects for the crypto market In a recent Altcoin Daily YouTube interview, he predicted a significant upside for Bitcoin in 2026 while also outlining the way in which capital flows into altcoins. His comments touched on institutional demand, decentralized finance and why the subsequent phase of the crypto market could soon decouple from Bitcoin.
Bitcoin at $250,000 and the bridge to DeFi
When asked if he continues to be bullish on Bitcoin in 2026. Hoskinson said he expects Bitcoin to achieve around $250,000 in 2026, citing continued institutional demand as a key driver.
This prediction is interesting, especially given the present context of Bitcoin's price motion, which is currently stuck below $90,000. It's not a brand new stance for Hoskinson either, who was previously floating the identical goal during an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box.
In the YouTube interview with Altcoin Daily, Hoskinson noted that the missing piece is a reputable way for Bitcoin's massive stored value to interact with the broader DeFi ecosystem. He explained that Bitcoin holders are very cautious about handing over custody of their assets to 3rd parties, which has limited the productive use of BTC.
The solution, in his view, lies in non-custodial credit systems. Hoskinson described a future through which Bitcoin may be lent without custody to access stablecoinsthat are then deployed across DeFi to generate yield.
When the return earned exceeds the fee of borrowing, Bitcoin holders earn predictable passive returns without giving up control of their holdings. Once such mechanisms mature, trillions of dollars of Bitcoin value could steadily flow into altcoins, and it will provide a stronger foundation for real-world adoption across the altcoin sector.
BTCUSD is currently trading at $87,648. Chart: TradingView
Solana versus Ethereum as 2026 approaches
Hoskinson also shared his perspective on the comparison between Ethereum and Solana, explaining that the difference lies in how each network can grow from here. He said Ethereum is in some ways a victim of its own success. After years of growth, it has grow to be an enormous ecosystem that’s inherently tougher to maneuver and adapt quickly.
Solana, then again, is a faster chain that may more easily experiment and adopt recent ideas. Hoskinson said Solana could possibly be higher positioned for growth in the subsequent few years as a result of its tighter leadership and more agile development approach. Still, he was careful to provide Ethereum its due credit, mentioning that that is the case continues to bear a variety of it the elemental work between altcoins and DeFi.
To the query Cardano and midnightHoskinson said his optimism is rooted in several fundamentals for every, although Midnight still has loads of room for growth. Cardano is more focused on long-term infrastructure and research-based development, but Midnight represents something recent for the industry.
Midnight is a recently launched affiliate chain founded by the creators of Cardano it acts as a complementary network to Cardano. In the interview, Hoskinson described Midnight as a part of a fourth generation of cryptocurrency design and positioned it as a pioneer that might accomplish that capture a big market share if development and introduction progress quickly enough.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
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