[a16z Releases '17 Crypto Trends for 2026' Focusing on RWA, AI Agents, and Privacy Chains]
The a16z crypto team has released its annual outlook, highlighting that by 2026, the industry will focus on native issuance of RWAs, stablecoin payment upgrades, the AI agent economy, and privacy infrastructure. The report notes that annual stablecoin transaction volume has reached $46 trillion, surpassing PayPal and Visa. Structured RWAs will move toward 'native on-chain issuance' to improve efficiency. Privacy will become a key factor in inter-chain competition and may lead to a 'winner-takes-all' scenario. Additionally, AI agent identity verification (KYA) and on-chain verifiable media perspectives are also key areas of focus.