Big Tech Crypto Wallets Coming by 2026, Fintech Blockchains Set to Struggle: Dragonfly

Tech giants are about to eat fintech's lunch. According to Dragonfly, the crypto venture capital firm, major technology companies will launch native cryptocurrency wallets by 2026. This isn't speculation—it's a forecast that reshapes the entire digital asset landscape.

The Coming Onslaught

Imagine logging into your social media or cloud storage account and finding a built-in crypto wallet. That's the future Dragonfly predicts. Big Tech's move bypasses the need for third-party apps, bringing digital assets directly to billions of existing users. It's a user acquisition strategy that fintech startups can only dream of.

Fintech's Uphill Battle

Specialized fintech blockchains face a brutal squeeze. Their niche value propositions—like faster transactions or lower fees—crumble when tech titans integrate wallets into platforms people already use daily. Why download another app when your existing ecosystem handles it? The competition isn't just about features; it's about sheer, overwhelming scale and convenience.

The integration cuts out middlemen and could trigger a massive wave of mainstream adoption. But it also centralizes gatekeeping power with a handful of corporate giants—a classic case of 'be careful what you wish for' in the decentralized finance world. One cynical take? The same firms that monetized your data and attention are now positioning themselves to custody your digital wealth. The future of finance looks a lot like the past, just with fancier tech.

Major Banks Test Private Blockchains, but Adoption Remains Limited

Several financial heavyweights have already experimented with private blockchains, including JPMorgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and IBM.

However, most of these initiatives remain limited to pilots or narrowly scoped use cases.

Earlier this month, Galaxy Digital echoed that view, predicting that at least one Fortune 500 bank, cloud provider, or e-commerce platform WOULD launch a layer-1 blockchain in 2026 capable of settling more than $1 billion in real economic activity, complete with a bridge into decentralized finance.

Qureshi also expects one of the dominant Big Tech firms, potentially Google, Meta, or Apple, to launch or acquire a crypto wallet next year.

Such a move, he argued, could instantly expose billions of users to digital assets, far surpassing the onboarding capacity of any crypto-native app.

It’s that time again—as 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to drop 2026 predictions.

I think 2026 is going to surprise, both to the upside and to the downside. Organized by category:

Macro / Chains
* $BTC is > $150K by year-end, but BTC dominance decreases in 2026.
* Despite the…

Despite growing interest in fintech-led blockchains, Qureshi is skeptical that these networks will gain meaningful traction.

He said layer-1s launched by fintech firms to compete with ethereum and Solana are unlikely to attract enough developers or users.

“Despite the excitement around the recent crop of fintech chains, their metrics will underwhelm,” Qureshi wrote, pointing to weak daily active addresses, stablecoin flows, and real-world asset activity.

In contrast, he expects Ethereum and Solana to continue outperforming as developers gravitate toward neutral, crypto-native infrastructure.

Bitcoin Seen Above $150K by 2026, but Dominance May Fade

On the market side, Qureshi forecast that Bitcoin will trade above $150,000 by the end of 2026, though he expects its dominance to decline as capital rotates into other sectors.

Galaxy Digital declined to offer a precise target, calling 2026 “too chaotic” and warning bitcoin could end the year anywhere between $50,000 and $250,000.

Qureshi also predicts the $312 billion stablecoin market will expand by roughly 60% next year, while Tether sees its share slip from about 60% to 55%.

Looking ahead to 2026, the industry remains divided. Strategy CEO Phong Le has argued that Bitcoin’s underlying fundamentals held up throughout 2025 despite weaker prices, while Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan said earlier this year that he expects 2026 to be an “up year” for the asset.

According to Linh Tran, market analyst at XS.com, Bitcoin’s recent price action underscores the market’s sensitivity to monetary policy expectations rather than headline economic data.