2026 will not be the year of a clear victory for Ethereum over Solana, but rather the year the market will define partial dominance at Layer 1. While it is speculated that Ethereum will consolidate its leadership thanks to its structural upgrades to Pectra and Fusaka, while Solana capitalizes on its technical rebound and retail traction, the real limit for both is not technological, but macroeconomic: the persistent dominance of Bitcoin and the concentration of institutional flows.
Author: liam
liam
Liam writes about Web3 and decentralized finance, focusing on how protocols, applications, and governance models are used in practice. His coverage centers on real adoption, integration, and the mechanics behind decentralized systems.Market developments and regulatory context are part of his reporting when they intersect with Web3 or DeFi activity.
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Nexo confirmed it has relaunched its operations in the United States, three years after withdrawing from the US market following a clash with regulators over its cryptocurrency-backed loan products. The return comes after the company agreed in 2023 to pay a $45 million fine to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for offering a product not registered as a security, and after a period of “recalibration” to meet strict regulatory requirements. Through a partnership with the US platform Bakkt, Nexo aims to offer cryptocurrency-backed loans and yield-generating products structured on a regulatory compliance basis.
Artificial intelligence agents integrated into DeFi protocols are not a passing fad or a mere narrative, but the beginning of a new class of autonomous economic actors capable of executing financial strategies, reallocating capital, and optimizing risk without direct human intervention.
Japanese company Metaplanet Inc. confirmed its strategic goal of accumulating nearly 1% of the total Bitcoin supply by the end of 2027. Currently, the firm holds over 35,102 BTC in its treasury, solidifying its position as one of the largest public holders of the cryptocurrency. This strategy remains unchanged despite significant market downturns, with plans to raise an additional $130 million in 2026.
Anchorage Digital, Kamino, and Solana Company introduced a tripartite custody model that allows institutions to borrow against natively staked SOL while the tokens remain in regulated custody.
$MOLT surged approximately 7,000% in a matter of days, driven by AI and broker activity, exposing structural flaws in the way value is formed.
Newmarket Capital, a lending firm that manages $3 billion in assets, has begun issuing mortgage and commercial loans that use Bitcoin as collateral.
FedEx has joined the Hedera Network Council, assuming a governance role within the consortium. The alliance aims to drive the digitalization of the supply chain.
In recent days, significant advances in Bitcoin security and the implementation of quantum computing have been announced. The most important of these is the emergence of wallets resistant to these types of attacks. However, merchants and administrators face a choice between paying upfront costs for device-level protections and relying on a protocol-level transition.
El Salvador’s Bitcoin reserves have recorded a latent loss of 300 million dollars, according to the latest reports issued by the Bitcoin Office. This situation occurs while the International Monetary Fund keeps financial reviews on hold, which creates additional pressure on the fiscal sustainability of the Salvadoran nation at the present time.
