By Brian Green, updated April 1, 2026
Crypto predictions vary from the most pessimistic to the most positive, with some of them being downright preposterous, as no one really knows what might happen next in the market, but everyone is more than welcome (and keen) to share their two cents and weigh in on the matter.
However, industry insiders are probably the most qualified to express their opinions in this regard because their privileged positions provide them with access to information that is usually out of reach for the general public. Thanks to their knowledge and experience in the cryptocurrency realm, they can offer key insights into market trends and make more accurate forecasts that might help guide traders’ and investors’ decisions.
Therefore, when they speak, their words seem to bear more weight than those of other market players, and people listen to what they have to say – and sometimes even follow their advice and recommendations. That’s why if you want to stay updated with the latest crypto news today and find out what’s going on in the market, you should also keep an eye out for interviews with industry leaders.
This brings us to the most recent edition of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in late January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The event gathered political leaders and important figures from around the world and across all sectors, including crypto. Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of Ripple Labs, one of the most prominent companies in the crypto sector, also made an appearance, where he discussed the state of the industry and shared his views on what this year might bring for the market. Spoiler alert: his opinions lean very bullish.
A bright outlook for crypto in 2026, according to G
When asked about how crypto might fare this year, Garlinghouse didn’t hesitate to express his optimism and say he is quite confident that the market will experience record highs over the following months. The main arguments that the Ripple CEO provided to support his theory are the growing regulatory clarity and the fact that institutions are getting more involved in the crypto space.
He referred to the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act in particular, which was signed into law in July 2025. This new piece of legislation targets stablecoins and introduces clear rules for how these specific crypto assets should be issued and managed.
Garlinghouse went on to explain that many still don’t seem to grasp the influence that the United States has on the crypto industry and how much these types of events can influence the market’s trajectory. 2025 was a pivotal year for digital currencies as the Trump administration made good on the promise of transforming the US into the crypto capital of the world and started implementing a series of measures that could support the development of the industry.
One of the most notable actions in this respect was appointing crypto-friendly officials in key positions. President Donald Trump himself nominated pro-crypto financier Paul Atkins as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the agency in charge of overseeing the securities industry and protecting investors. As a result, the SEC shifted its approach drastically and adopted a much more lenient stance on crypto regulation, dropping many of the ongoing lawsuits with major crypto firms such as Coinbase, Kraken, Robinhood, and Ripple.
Then the passage of the Genius Act caught the attention of many Fintech firms and established Wall Street companies, some of which started thinking about launching their own stablecoins. Garlinghouse pointed out that this growing institutional participation can be a turning point for the market with long-term effects still unwinding, calling it a massive sea change. Bitcoin hitting a new all-time high in October 2025 is another example of how these decisions are moving the market forward, and this positive trend is likely to continue well into 2026.
The Clarity Act comes into the spotlight
The industry is advancing at a fast pace right now, but there’s another landmark crypto bill that might accelerate the process even further and bring notable shifts if approved, namely the Clarity Act. The proposed legislation is supposed to establish clear jurisdictions for the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the regulation of digital assets, and thus avoid legislative gaps and disputes between the two agencies.
After passing the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2025, the Act reached the Senate, where it encountered hurdles because lawmakers couldn’t seem to reach an agreement on how the authority should be divided and the applicable rules and standards.
Furthermore, the new provisions added to the draft intensified debates over how the bill could impact the industry. Under the current requirements, most digital currencies would qualify as securities and fall under the SEC’s purview. Projects that can prove they are fully decentralized are deemed commodities and fall under the CFTC’s jurisdiction.
The industry wasn’t too happy with these arrangements and reacted accordingly. In January 2026, Coinbase announced they will no longer support the revised draft because of the risks it poses for decentralized finance (DeFi). Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, stated that such provisions would make matters worse than they are at the moment, and that having no bill at all would be better than passing a bad bill.
Garlinghouse doesn’t seem to agree with this stance, saying that the Senate Banking Committee’s decision to issue this draft was an auspicious move that could contribute to crypto’s success. He also said he is hopeful that discussions will eventually settle any disagreements and that the bill will ultimately be signed into law.
As for the long-term prospects, Garlinghouse sees a promising future for the crypto industry, with sustained growth over the next decade.
