As we head towards 2026, the cryptocurrency industry is at a tipping point. The regulatory fog that has long shrouded digital assets has finally lifted, institutional investors have moved from the sidelines to the field, and the very definition of what constitutes an “asset” is being rewritten.
Few people have a better perspective on these changes than Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. BeInCrypto caught up with Siu to discuss what the new year means for Web3 and why he thinks companies are facing a tough choice: tokenize or disappear.
New year, new era for altcoins
Siu acknowledges that Bitcoin has achieved status as “digital gold,” but sees the real action happening elsewhere as 2026 begins. “Most people don’t get into cryptocurrencies by buying Bitcoin,” he observes. “They come in through tokens that provide some kind of utility, whether it’s DeFi, gaming, NFTs, or something else entirely.”
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He draws parallels with traditional markets. No single company comes close to gold’s market capitalization, but global stock markets dwarf gold’s market capitalization many times over. “The same dynamic is taking shape with cryptocurrencies, and what excites me this year is that the opportunity is no longer just in new token launches, but in already proven tokens.”
It’s a pattern Siu has seen before. “Think about what happened after the dot-com bust. Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Netease, they didn’t disappear. They came back stronger. I believe 2026 will be the beginning of a similar resurgence for established Web3 players.”
The year when regulations will finally be clarified
If there’s one development Siu will be watching this year, it’s the fate of the CLARITY Act in the U.S. Congress. The CLARITY Act aims to build on the foundation laid by the stablecoin GENIUS Act to establish clear jurisdictional boundaries between the SEC and CFTC with respect to digital assets.
“I am confident that the CLARITY Act will be passed in 2026,” Siu said. “And if that happens, it will spark a wave of tokenization never seen before, from Fortune 500 companies to small and medium-sized businesses. The uncertainty that has held back so many players will finally be lifted.”
He believes this regulatory clarity is key to enabling large-scale adoption by companies. “Companies have been sitting on the sidelines, not because they don’t see potential, but because they can’t navigate the legal ambiguity. This year, that concern will disappear.”
Facilities change from audience to participants
While the introduction of crypto ETFs in recent years has been a turning point, Siu believes 2026 will be remembered as the year when institutional adoption moved from experimentation to strategy. “What we are seeing now is just the beginning. RWA and stablecoins will lead the institutional narrative this year.”
In particular, tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) has transformative potential. “RWA delivers what cryptocurrencies have always promised but have been difficult to deliver at scale: true financial inclusion. We are talking about cryptocurrency wallets for the unbanked and access to yield-producing products that were previously reserved for the wealthy. This is the year those promises start to become reality.”
Current estimates suggest that tokenized RWA could reach $30 trillion within the next decade. Adoption of institutional-level frameworks such as the EU’s MiCA regulation will give large banks and asset managers the confidence they need to tackle public blockchains. “The infrastructure is ready. The regulations are in place. It’s just execution.”
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Repeat post-crash strategy
Siu sees clear parallels between the current moment and the years following the dot-com bust. “Funding cycles have fundamentally evolved. In the early days of Web3, the biggest opportunity was in the long-awaited token launch. That is no longer the case.”
Today, investing in tokens with liquidity and market presence is becoming the norm. “After the dot-com bust, companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, and eBay didn’t just survive, they got significantly bigger. The same pattern will repeat with Web3, but with a twist. We’ll also see the big tech companies, the Googles and Metas of the world, enter the space in a meaningful way.”
This change requires a different skill set from investors. “Today, the situation is even more nuanced. Success in this environment requires better analytical skills. There is very little easy money to be made just by catching the next hot new product.”
“Everything becomes an asset class.”
When asked about his boldest prediction for the coming years, Siu didn’t hesitate. “Everything will become an asset class with tokenization. Intellectual property, royalties, ad inventory, if it has value, it will be tokenized.”
He acknowledges that tokenized RWA currently remains fragmented across chains and markets, but expects consolidation and growth in the future. “The technology is ready. What’s missing is regulatory clarity and institutional trust. Both of these elements are falling into place.”
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This change also has a generational dimension. “Just as the internet and social media defined the divide for previous generations, cryptocurrencies are becoming an asset class for younger generations. Companies that want to effectively reach that audience need a strategy that incorporates tokenization. It’s no longer an option.”
Blockchain fades into the background
One of Siu’s counterintuitive predictions is that blockchain technology will become invisible to most users. “Think about digital music. We used to say ‘MP3’ or ‘digital download.’ Now we simply call it “music.” Technology faded into the background. The same thing is happening with blockchain. ”
He cites prediction markets as an example. “They run on crypto rails, but the users don’t care about the backend. They care about the service. This is the mainstream adoption model: delivering value and making the blockchain work invisibly.”
This hands-on approach opens doors for any industry. “Games that use in-game assets as NFTs. Revenue-generating products that are accessible to everyday users. Faster payments. Digital ownership. These use cases will draw traditional users into crypto-based services, not because they’re excited about blockchain, but simply because the services are better.”
From crypto natives to people interested in cryptocurrencies
Mr. Siu predicts that the target audience for cryptocurrencies will change significantly this year. “In 2026, the focus will shift from crypto natives to people interested in crypto, and from entertainment to utility and value.”
Memecoins were a product of regulatory ambiguity, he argues. “Historically, memecoin launches have been targeted at crypto natives; they were not designed to appeal to mainstream users.” But that dynamic is changing as more friendly regulatory frameworks take shape globally.
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“Under clearer regulations, projects can openly discuss their value propositions, no longer needing to hide behind the meme coin label. The CLARITY Act will accelerate this trend. Tokens will be judged on their actual usefulness, and those without actual value will struggle to survive.”
Financial literacy becomes essential
Looking to the rest of 2026 and beyond, Siu sees financial literacy emerging as a key skill. “Cryptocurrencies are already solving real-world problems, reducing transfer costs, improving access to revenue generation, and enabling participation in opportunities that were previously limited.”
He predicts that cryptocurrencies will become deeply ingrained in everyday financial infrastructure. “Cryptocurrencies will be incorporated into financial solutions that impact the lives of ordinary people, such as student loans, consumer loans, and ultimately unsecured lending.”
This reflects the digital literacy revolution of the 1990s and 2000s. “Back then, businesses needed to become more digitally literate or make risk irrelevant. Consumers followed suit. The same pattern is now playing out with financial literacy. Tokenization leads to financialization, and those who become financially literate gain access to greater opportunities.”
Tokenize or die
Siu concluded with a message that was both a warning and a rallying cry for the year ahead.
“Companies that don’t tokenize their assets and enable access to AI systems and Web3 liquidity will become less relevant. We’ve seen this movie before. Traditional businesses that ignored the internet lost out to competitors like Amazon and Steam. The same fate awaits companies that ignore tokenization.”
He paused and uttered a line that sounded like a personal mantra. “Tokenize or die. That’s not a distant prediction. It’s the reality of 2026.”
