Standard Chartered projects a fourfold increase in the digital assets market cap, reaching $10 trillion by the U.S. mid-term elections in late 2026.
What Happened: According to a new note from Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Research at Standard Chartered, this growth forecast is based on anticipated regulatory shifts following a projected Republican sweep in the recent election cycle, which could lead to mainstream adoption and real-world use cases for digital assets.
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“For me, the Trump-ublican sweep means Digital Assets are finally going to come of age,” Kendrick commented, expressing confidence that favorable regulatory policies will drive adoption across the asset class. He added, “I look for the entire asset class to 4X by the time of the US mid-terms in late 2026.”
Standard Chartered highlight several factors contributing to this growth projection.
These include potential regulatory changes, such as a repeal of SAB 121 and favorable stablecoin regulations, which the bank anticipates could be enacted shortly after the new administration takes office in January 2025.
Additionally, Standard Chartered expects the SEC to adopt a softer regulatory stance on digital assets, further opening pathways for mainstream use.
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The report also suggests that assets closely linked to practical, end-use cases—like Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), which the bank expects to outperform Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH)—are likely to see the most significant growth.
Kendrick sees strong growth potential for sectors like gaming, tokenization, and emerging areas such as decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) and consumer social, which he notes are still in early stages of development.
Furthermore, while Standard Chartered considers a U.S. Bitcoin reserve a low-probability event, it notes this move could have a significant impact on the digital assets market if implemented.
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Kendrick emphasizes that the regulatory clarity and adoption policies expected from a Trump administration could lift the entire asset class, providing an environment conducive to digital assets going mainstream.
