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Crypto’s Next Phase: Moving Beyond The Bitcoin 4-Year Cycle

Crypto’s Next Phase: Moving Beyond The Bitcoin 4-Year Cycle

Predictions for how institutions, stablecoins, and fundamentals shape 2026

DeFi Dad
January 09, 2026

For years, crypto markets have been interpreted through a single lens: the Bitcoin halving and the four-year cycle it created. We are forever tied to this Groundhog Day of a market structure, a self-fulfilling prophesy if you will: a major 70-90% drawdown across cryptoassets in the midterm-election year following the post-halving year before we can bottom and reset for a new euphoric bull run next Bitcoin halving.

But as we move into 2026, that framework is starting to lose its explanatory power. Institutional participation is no longer theoretical, stablecoins are becoming embedded in real financial workflows, and the market is increasingly rewarding fundamentals over narratives. Major banks and fintechs are building cycle-independent businesses on crypto rails and those businesses come from a world reliant on the business cycle—not the Bitcoin halving cycle.

In this episode of The Edge Podcast, we sit down with Rob Hadick to share predictions for what comes next. We cover why crypto is entering a more institutional phase, how stablecoins and B2B adoption are driving real demand, where DeFi still needs better transparency, and why privacy and zero-knowledge tech could matter more than most investors expect.

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