Former CFTC official points to 2026 as the milestone for institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies.

• Regulatory clarity drives institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies.
• Compliance defines the winners in the next crypto phase.
• Tokenization and blockchain are advancing towards large-scale use.

Cryptocurrencies are expected to enter a new phase of institutional adoption starting in 2026, following years of quiet testing conducted by major financial players. This assessment comes from Caroline D. Pham, former interim chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), who sees next year as the turning point between experimentation and effective implementation.

🚨 Why 2026 is the year of institutional adoption for crypto, tokenization, and blockchain with even more choice and access to markets through trusted infrastructure partners like @moonpay that simplifies compliance 👇

Thanks @NYS to @FintechTvGlobal @TakingStockLive @jd_durkin! pic.twitter.com/mw6B0hR6Zn

— Caroline D. Pham (@CarolineDPham) January 3, 2026

During her participation in the Taking Stock program at the New York Stock Exchange, Pham stated that institutional advancement will not be driven by price fluctuations, but by greater regulatory predictability. According to her, tokenization, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies are moving towards integrated use within traditional financial market structures.

“The increased institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology in 2026 will depend on companies being able to scale responsibly and remain compliant – especially with KYC, AML, and other important safeguards.”

stated.

According to Pham, there is a misconception that Wall Street is only just beginning to explore the sector. In practice, banks, asset managers, and brokerage firms have been working with blockchain and cryptocurrencies for almost a decade, through internal projects and pilot programs initiated between 2016 and 2017.

"Institutions have been working with blockchain technology, tokenization, and cryptocurrencies as an asset class since at least 2017 – sometimes even since 2016."

She explained, highlighting that the limitation lay not in interest, but in regulatory uncertainty.

This scenario began to change over the past year, with initiatives that sought to align cryptocurrencies with existing norms in the financial system. Pham cited coordinated actions by US regulators as decisive factors in reducing legal and operational uncertainties faced by large institutions.

"The rules are technology-neutral."

Pham said.

"It's just a different format – from paper to electronic and now to digital."

According to the former CFTC director, cryptocurrency companies seeking to serve institutional investors will need to prioritize governance, risk controls, and solid legal structures. Strategies based solely on growth rate tend to lose ground in the face of compliance requirements.

"Those who understand how to comply with regulatory standards... and who know how to be a reliable infrastructure partner for regulated institutions will be the ones to choose them."

stated.

Looking ahead to 2026, Pham highlighted that there will not be a single mandatory path for institutional entry. Futures exchanges, securities platforms, and state regulatory models should coexist, broadening market access options. In this context, institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies will reflect strategic choices based on legal security and reliable infrastructure.