Crypto Market 2026 Predictions: Which Coins Will 10x and Which Will Crash?

Group 1: Bitcoin Outlook - JPMorgan forecasts Bitcoin could rise by 60-70% to challenge gold's $28.3 trillion valuation, potentially reaching around $170,000 by 2026 from a recent trading level of $90,000 [1][5][7] - The bank identifies $94,000 as a production-cost floor for Bitcoin, emphasizing its role as a steady store-of-value despite potential macroeconomic challenges [7] Group 2: Ethereum Developments - Vitalik Buterin's plan aims to increase Ethereum's layer-1 throughput by 10 times by 2026, which is expected to enhance transaction speed and reduce costs [2][6] - Standard Chartered analysts project a bullish target of $12,000 for ETH in 2026, contingent on successful upgrades like Fusaka and Pectra [3] Group 3: Solana's Growth Potential - Solana's on-chain revenue surged 186% year-over-year in 2025, indicating strong developer and user interest post-2022 crash [9] - Institutional interest in Solana is rising, with $476 million in ETF inflows over 19 days, suggesting a preference for SOL over Bitcoin and Ethereum [10] - Analysts predict Solana could reach $280-$340 by late 2026, significantly above its late 2025 trading price of around $140 [11] Group 4: XRP's Regulatory Clarity - XRP's price increased from approximately $0.50 to $2.15 over the past year, marking a 330% gain, attributed to regulatory clarity and Ripple's use case in cross-border payments [12][13] - Ripple's network has over 300 banking and fintech partners, facilitating around $15 billion in annual payments, which reflects growing trust in XRP [13] Group 5: Infrastructure and Niche Tokens - Chainlink is highlighted as a key player in DeFi, with a recent ETF attracting $41 million in inflows, indicating strong institutional interest [16][17] - Emerging sectors like Layer-2 tokens and specialized blockchains for gaming, IoT, or AI services are also noted for potential significant moves [18][19] Group 6: Market Trends and Predictions - The crypto market in 2026 is expected to reward coins with strong fundamentals and real-world demand, such as BTC, ETH, SOL, and XRP [29] - Conversely, meme coins and low-utility chains are predicted to face declines or irrelevance, as evidenced by a 50-80% drop in meme coin portfolios in 2025 [21][30]