Casterman: 2026 a Crypto Inflection Point — Shift to Regulated Financial Infrastructure
André Casterman, founder of Casterman Advisory, said on X that 2026 will mark a key inflection point for the crypto market as industry focus moves from debating the need for crypto to building new financial infrastructure. He predicts tokenization and digital assets will shift from pilots to regulated, production-grade deployments. Central banks and institutions are converging on a "wholesale-first" approach for CBDCs, tokenized deposits and regulated stablecoins (examples cited: USDC, RLUSD), and upcoming market-structure legislation will enable institutional applications. Once regulatory clarity arrives, banks are expected to increase investment in crypto trading and related services. Casterman foresees multiple coexisting digital money forms with interoperability, blockchains acting as parallel financial rails, and banks continuing as intermediaries while the sector focuses on infrastructure development under clear rules. The commentary signals an institutionalization phase for crypto and highlights regulation, tokenization, CBDCs, stablecoins and banking participation as key drivers for market maturation.
Bullish
The announcement signals institutional tailwinds: regulatory clarity, wholesale CBDC strategies and support for regulated stablecoins lower frictions and legal risks that previously deterred banks and large investors. History shows regulation and clearer institutional pathways tend to support asset inflows (e.g., clearer ETF pathways increased institutional interest in Bitcoin). If legislation and standards arrive as Casterman expects, banks and custodians are likely to scale custody, trading and tokenization services, increasing liquidity and market depth — bullish for major liquid crypto assets and tokenized instruments. Short-term volatility could persist around policy developments and implementation details; however, medium-to-long-term impact is constructive as infrastructure builds, interoperability improves and on-chain institutional flows increase. Risks remain: delayed or restrictive rules, fragmentation across jurisdictions, or technical hurdles could temper momentum. Overall, the news points to structural improvements that favor adoption and capital inflows, which is positive for market growth and institutional trading volume.