According to the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), regulatory clarity is no longer the main barrier to the evolution of the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
In its latest report, the firm noted that global cryptocurrency regulation is moving towards greater alignment and identified 6 main trends for 2026.
Stablecoins, tokenization, and consumer protection
The first key trend is related to stablecoins. PwC highlighted that the industry is shifting its focus from creating regulatory frameworks to enforcing them. Regulators are imposing mandatory rules on reserves, redemption rights, governance, and information disclosure.
In some regions, authorities are also introducing holding limits to reduce the risks associated with rapid fund exits.
“Central banks will begin testing interoperability between systemic stablecoins and payment systems,” says the report.
Secondly, the report highlighted the growing momentum around tokenized money. Tokenized bank deposits, tokenized cash equivalents, and central bank digital currencies for wholesale use are moving beyond their testing phase and advancing toward broader implementation.
PwC observed that policymakers are prioritizing cross-border settlement systems that combine tokenized assets with interoperable national payment networks.
In general terms, the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) has become a key topic in 2026, and industry participants expect significant growth.
This trend was also evident at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where the tokenization of RWA stood out as the most consistent and relevant topic in discussions related to cryptocurrencies.
Thirdly, PwC identified consumer protection as another important regulatory focus. The report indicates that licensed companies will face stricter expectations regarding marketing practices, product suitability, and outcomes for clients.
“Financial promotion obligations and product governance are being integrated into crypto licenses. Licensed companies will need to demonstrate fair value outcomes, transparent marketing, suitability testing, and compensation mechanisms for clients,” PwC notes.
Impact at the institutional level and for intermediaries
Fourthly, at the institutional level, use cases are also growing as regulators clarify how digital assets can be approved as collateral under frameworks such as UMR.
As long as these assets meet the requirements of liquidity, valuation, custody, operational resilience, and legal applicability, approval will be more likely. This supports broader institutional use of tokenized crypto assets as collateral in derivatives markets.
Fifthly, the report also notes higher expectations for crypto intermediaries. According to PwC,
“Cryptocurrency exchanges, custodians, and stablecoin issuers are being included in comprehensive solvency and operational resilience regimes. Supervisors are applying capital, segregation, liquidity, and recovery plan requirements equivalent to the standards of financial market infrastructure.”
Finally, PwC added that decentralized finance is increasingly being evaluated under the same criteria as traditional markets.
Regulators are extending expectations of market integrity, transparency, oversight, and conflict management to both centralized trading environments and on-chain, indicating a convergence toward global conduct standards.
The forces influencing cryptocurrencies beyond regulation
Beyond regulatory trends, the report also highlights non-regulatory forces that shape the current state of cryptocurrencies: