Bitwise CIO: Compliant ICOs May Become the Core Theme of the Crypto Sector in 2026

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan stated that Coinbase's newly launched token sales platform marks a strong comeback for crypto-based capital formation methods. Compliant ICOs are expected to become the core theme of 2026, reshaping the fundraising model for startups and becoming the fourth major pillar of cryptocurrency's disruption of traditional finance. The previous three pillars were Bitcoin's redefinition of gold, stablecoins' redefinition of the US dollar, and tokenization's redefinition of trading and settlement. Matt Hougan pointed out that early ICO experiments demonstrated that blockchain technology could connect entrepreneurs and investors in a faster and more cost-effective way. Current U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins recently called for new regulations and safe harbor mechanisms to support compliant token issuance, and Coinbase's new platform is an important step in this direction.