Bitcoin is in for a bumpy 2026.
That’s according to Przemysław Kral, CEO of the crypto exchange zondacrypto, who warned that some analysts’ predictions that the top cryptocurrency’s price will hit $500,000 by 2028 may be wishful thinking.
“The global economy is increasingly uncertain and regulation is being developed at a relatively slow pace,” Kral told DL News.
The comments come as Bitcoin’s price plunged some 20% from its October record to dip below $100,000 twice in the first week of November.
While the price has recovered to $106,000 on the back of lawmakers on Capitol Hill signalling that the US government shutdown may be coming to an end, analysts are sounding the alarm that the rally may be losing steam.
‘Bearish year for Bitcoin’
One of them is Alberto Cárdenas. A crypto trader and commentator, he told Criptomonenas that the current macroeconomic environment is not favourable for sustained growth as he sees no end to global trade wars.
“We are now nearing a market peak,” Cárdenas said. “And I foresee 2026 as a bearish year for Bitcoin. Traders need to prepare for a difficult 2026 for Bitcoin. It will be a corrective year.”
Cárdenas also hitched his argument of a market downturn to the idea that Bitcoin’s price swells and contracts in four-year cycles tied to its halving events, which is when the code cuts the rewards Bitcoin miners get for validating the blockchain in half.
Yet, not everyone subscribes to that idea. One of them who doesn’t is James Butterfill, head of research at the digital asset investment firm CoinShares.
“We believe that institutional flows, ETF activity, and broader global liquidity trends now exert a far stronger influence on market behaviour than the simplistic four-year rhythm often cited in past cycles,” he told DL News on November 7.
Even so, he recognised that even though he doesn’t believe in it, the fact that traders do still weigh on markets. Why? Because it means that they’re selling their assets to secure profits from this cycle.
To be sure, while analysts still agree that the top crypto is prone to price moves, Kreeson Thathiah, chief financial officer at the digital asset payment provider Relm, told DL News that the 2026 market is likely to experience “less volatility than in previous years.”
“Macroeconomics and politics will see to that,” Thathiah said. “But growing institutional participation and clearer regulation should continue to dampen the extremes. They will make Bitcoin’s behaviour look more like other mainstream assets.”
Tim Alper is a news correspondent at DL News. Got a tip? Email at talper@dlnews.com.
