CoinFund President Forecasts Crypto’s M&A Boom and Institutional Maturation by 2026
Christopher Perkins, president of crypto investment firm CoinFund, predicts 2026 will mark a turning point for digital assets—shifting from speculative token narratives to balance-sheet discipline and regulated product launches. In a year-end analysis on X, Perkins outlined seven key trends, emphasizing consolidation and institutionalization.
The most striking projection: a $25 billion wave of mergers and acquisitions, triple 2025's estimated $8.6 billion activity. This "M&A Summer" will feature distressed asset purchases, strategic acquisitions by TradFi players catching up on blockchain capabilities, and crypto-native firms buying compliance infrastructure. Asia-to-U.S. deals may accelerate as regulatory clarity attracts capital.
Perkins sees two parallel movements: traditional finance firms scrambling to acquire crypto expertise ("ugh, I’m behind") while blockchain companies snap up licensed entities for securities compliance. The subtext: Crypto’s wild west phase is ending, replaced by the messy but necessary grind of industry maturation.