ARK Invest: Bitcoin, DeFi, and Tokenized Assets Will Lead a New Phase in the Crypto Market by 2026
January 22 News, ARK Invest’s latest research report “Big Ideas for 2026” shows that Bitcoin, decentralized finance (DeFi), and tokenized assets are becoming an important part of the global capital markets. The digital asset market size is expected to reach $28 trillion by 2030, with Bitcoin accounting for approximately $16 trillion. The report points out that regulatory clarity will determine whether innovation can be transformed into mainstream applications, and Bitcoin, DeFi, and tokenized assets are expected to dominate cryptocurrency development in 2026.
ARK Invest emphasizes that the maturity of Bitcoin as an institutional asset class is continuously improving, with the total holdings of Bitcoin by US ETFs and listed companies rising to 12%, up from 8.7% at the beginning of 2025. Joni Pirovich, founder of Crystal aOS, believes ARK’s forecast is “reasonable” and notes that the goal of expanding cryptocurrency platforms is not to become global centralized institutions but to seek global recognition and comply with decentralized regulations.
The report shows that tokenized assets grew to $19 billion in 2025 and could reach $11 trillion by 2030, accounting for about 1.38% of global financial assets, mainly driven by the BlackRock BUIDL fund and tokenized gold from Tether and Paxos. DeFi applications generated a record $3.8 billion in revenue in 2025, with one-fifth of the total revenue in January alone, and some smaller protocols earning over $1 million per month. Lee Xu, founder of EDENA Capital Partners, emphasizes that mature regulatory frameworks and interoperable institutional networks will drive the reshaping of global capital formation through sovereign digital securities, and the tokenization market will become a core driver of real-world economic activity.
Additionally, the report points out that Bitcoin’s volatility has decreased, and risk-adjusted returns in 2025 have mostly outperformed Ethereum and Solana. According to CoinGecko data, Bitcoin’s trading price is slightly below $90,000, up 0.5% in the past 24 hours, but it has declined over 6% this week. Recently, Trump’s withdrawal of tariffs threats against Greenland in Europe briefly boosted the cryptocurrency market, but geopolitical uncertainties still exert pressure on prices.
Overall, ARK Invest predicts that Bitcoin, DeFi, and tokenized assets will continue to attract institutional and retail attention in 2026 and may drive cryptocurrencies into a new phase of development.
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