The Spring Breeze of Regulation is Rising: Why Institutions Are Optimistic About Crypto Assets in 2026

【Blockchain Rhythm】Recent market signals have been quite positive. Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs released a new report indicating that the crypto industry is approaching a turning point—regulatory environments are improving, application scenarios are expanding, especially for infrastructure companies rooted in ecological foundations, which are benefiting most directly.

What was the biggest psychological barrier for institutional entry in the past? Regulatory uncertainty. But this obstacle is gradually being removed. Goldman Sachs’ analysis team emphasizes that with the leadership change at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the overall regulatory stance has shifted from aggressive enforcement to pragmatic cooperation. Pending cases being dismissed and court lawsuits being withdrawn all send the same message: the policy environment for the industry is heating up.

More importantly, a legislative draft concerning market structure for tokenized assets and decentralized finance projects is brewing in Congress. This draft will explicitly define the regulatory scope of various crypto assets for the first time and clarify the responsibilities between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The investment bank believes that if this law is finalized by the first half of 2026, it will be highly significant—because the midterm elections at the end of the year could delay the process.

Survey data also shows a shift in institutional attitudes. 35% of institutions still list regulatory uncertainty as the top obstacle to adopting crypto assets, but 32% have shifted their focus to a more positive issue—the extent to which a clear regulatory framework can unlock institutional capital. This change indicates that once the legal framework is in place, the flow of crypto assets within financial institutions could accelerate.