Crypto markets rallied to $2.84 trillion as Trump won the White House and Republicans claimed the Senate last week, edging closer to a GOP sweep with the House majority still undecided.
Standard Chartered projects that this “Republican sweep” could drive the market cap to $10 trillion by 2026 amid more crypto-friendly policies and regulatory changes.
The bank’s forecast hinges on Republicans pushing stablecoin regulations, repealing SEC guidance limiting crypto custodians, and even considering a federal Bitcoin reserve.
Though Standard Chartered sees a Bitcoin reserve fund as a low-probability event, it acknowledges the potential for substantial price impact if the US government were to retain its Bitcoin holdings.
“We expect regulatory and other changes in 2025 and 2026 to further legitimise the digital assets industry, ‘lifting all boats’ and supporting the emergence of new ones,” said Geoff Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered.
Lifting all boats
A Republican majority in the House would allow the GOP to advance these policies with minimal resistance.
This could also boost institutional interest in stablecoins, which the bank predicts could reach a $1 trillion market cap by 2026.
Bitcoin is projected to reach $200,000 by the end of 2025, while Ethereum could climb to $10,000,
However, Kendrick expects Bitcoin’s market share to drop from its current 60% to just over 40% by 2026.
He believes smart contract platforms and assets with practical applications — such as decentralised finance, gaming, and tokenisation — will outperform.
The report estimates that Solana, in particular, will outpace both Bitcoin and Ethereum and could increase fivefold in value before the end of next year.
Crypto market movers
Bitcoin is up 3.3% over the past 24 hours to trade at $79,100.
Ethereum is up 5.1% to trade at $3,185.
What we are reading
Sales at Trump-backed World Liberty Financial lag market rally — DL News
Elizabeth Warren Will Be the Top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee — Unchained
Vitalik Buterin explores ‘info finance’ concept for Ethereum-based prediction markets — DL News
Early look at Opensea redesign teases ‘XP’ points with retroactive rewards, new UI and more — The Block
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email at kbaird@dlnews.com.
