- 86.8% of respondents back AI Agents as autonomous on-chain execution entities for trading, clearing, and risk management.
- Asset tokenization gained 84.6% approval, signaling support for migrating securities to blockchain with DeFi integration.
- Stablecoins, HK rules and exchange competition showed strong support, indicating infrastructure upgrades and regulatory normalization.
HashKey Holdings Limited and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Digital Finance Lab released the “2026 Digital Asset Industry Outlook”, following a 7-day survey and research review.
The report stated ten trends expected by industry participants in 2026, based on data from market respondents. The document presented approval rates for each trend without forward projections.
AI Agents and Asset Tokenization Lead Survey Support
The report stated that 86.8 percent of respondents expect AI Agents to operate as autonomous execution entities. These agents would handle order execution, clearing, position management, and risk control through smart contracts. It described this as an on-chain execution framework rather than a forecast.
Asset tokenization followed with 84.6 percent support. The survey cited scalable migration of securities to blockchain systems. It mentioned that on-chain registration and clearing may integrate with DeFi structures as infrastructure matures.
Stablecoins, Hong Kong Rules and Exchange Competition
Stablecoin infrastructure upgrades received 79.4 percent approval. Respondents cited improved fiat access and commercial activity through financial institutions. The report added that banks could use stablecoins for product expansion but did not predict timelines.
Hong Kong’s regulatory development reached 77.3 percent support. The expectation included licensed stablecoins and normalized tokenized issuance. It also referenced circulation in secondary markets as a developing process.
Offshore versus onshore exchange competition held 74.2 percent approval. Compliance and transparency were identified as barriers to entry. The survey did not identify specific jurisdictions.
Liquidity Focus, Staking M&A and Privacy Infrastructure
Liquidity recovery reached 64.7 percent approval. Respondents pointed to concentrated interest in BTC and ETH rather than broad market participation. Staking’s “Institutional Era” held 63.6 percent approval, with DAT products and ETFs entering mainstream access.
Industry mergers and acquisitions reached 62.1 percent. The report mentioned infrastructure and compliant assets as acquisition priorities. Privacy and scaling held 55.3 percent approval, referencing ZK and FHE schemes as institutional configurations. Global regulatory competition held 55.2 percent, focused on stablecoin clearing and access frameworks.
