Trump Named Crypto Person of the Year: 2025 Awards, 2026 Outlook
Fortune Crypto Playbook weighs 2026 outlook after crypto’s high-profile 2025
The latest episode of the Fortune Crypto Playbook podcast—hosted by finance editor Jeff John Roberts and senior reporter Leo Schwartz—focused on what 2026 could mean for the crypto industry following what they described as a triumphant 2025. The episode is available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
Despite the increased mainstream attention, the discussion framed the market as sitting on a precarious edge. Bitcoin has slipped below $100,000, and so-called digital asset treasury companies are described as being underwater, underscoring how quickly sentiment can change even after a strong prior year.
At the same time, the episode pointed to areas where traditional finance and blockchain applications are continuing to move forward. Banks are rushing to explore stablecoins, and prediction markets—described as “red-hot”—are increasingly employing blockchain technology.
One of the more cautious notes came from Mike McGlone, Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior commodity strategist. “To me, 2024 was as good as it gets, 2025 is the hangover, and 2026, I think, is more of an extreme bear market,” McGlone said.
The conversation highlights a familiar tension in crypto: adoption and experimentation can accelerate even as prices weaken and business models tied closely to market cycles come under pressure. That contrast helps explain why the industry can draw growing institutional interest while still facing sharp swings in market confidence.
