Big Tech to Launch Crypto Wallets by 2026, While Fintech Blockchains May Fall Behind: Insights from Dragonfly

A leading Big Tech company is projected to introduce a crypto wallet by 2026. Meanwhile, many Fortune 100 companies are anticipated to initiate their own blockchain solutions. These insights come from Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly.

Key Takeaways

Big Tech and major banks are set to enhance their use of blockchain technology by 2026.
Current private blockchain projects are mostly limited to small pilot programs.
Fintech layer-1 blockchains are not expected to compete effectively with Ethereum or Solana.

According to a recent post by Qureshi on X, the upcoming wave of corporate blockchain adoption is likely to be spearheaded by banks and fintech companies, instead of consumer-focused brands or crypto-native startups.

Qureshi believes these firms will prefer modular systems utilizing infrastructure like Avalanche and tools such as OP Stack, Orbit, and ZK Stack. This approach will enable them to create permissioned or semi-private networks while still utilizing a public blockchain for final settlement.

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

Major Banks Experimenting with Private Blockchains

Some financial giants, including JPMorgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and IBM, have started testing private blockchains. However, most of these projects are currently limited to pilot phases or specific use cases.

Galaxy Digital recently shared a similar sentiment, projecting that at least one major Fortune 500 bank, cloud service provider, or e-commerce platform will launch a layer-1 blockchain by 2026, potentially handling over $1 billion in actual economic transactions and integrating with decentralized finance.

Qureshi predicts that a leading Big Tech firm—likely Google, Meta, or Apple—will either launch or acquire a crypto wallet next year. This move could significantly increase the exposure of billions of users to digital assets, dwarfing the user engagement of any crypto-native application.

Despite the rising interest in fintech-driven blockchains, Qureshi is doubtful about their future success. He suggests that layer-1s introduced by fintech companies aiming to rival Ethereum and Solana may struggle to attract sufficient developers and users.

“Even with the excitement surrounding the new wave of fintech chains, their performance metrics are likely to disappoint,” he noted, highlighting low daily active addresses, subpar stablecoin movements, and minimal real-world asset utilization.

Conversely, he anticipates that Ethereum and Solana will continue to thrive as developers prefer neutral and crypto-native infrastructures.

Bitcoin's Price Predictions and Market Dynamics

On the market front, Qureshi forecasts that Bitcoin could exceed $150,000 by the end of 2026, although he anticipates a decline in its dominance as investments shift to other areas.

Galaxy Digital refrained from providing a specific target, describing 2026 as “too chaotic” and cautioning that Bitcoin’s year-end price could range anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000.

Qureshi foresees the $312 billion stablecoin market growing by approximately 60% next year, while Tether's market share is expected to decrease from around 60% to 55%.

As the industry looks towards 2026, opinions are split. Strategy's CEO, Phong Le, maintains that Bitcoin's fundamental strength held steady throughout 2025 despite volatile prices. In contrast, Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, has remarked that he anticipates 2026 will be a favorable year for Bitcoin.

Market analyst Linh Tran from XS.com points out that Bitcoin's recent price fluctuations reflect the market's increased sensitivity to expectations regarding monetary policy rather than just broader economic indicators.