Is 2026 a Lost Year for Bitcoin? Polymarket Insiders, BlackRock & Crypto’s Next Phase

Bitcoin starts 2026 near $93,000 — but some major analysts are warning that this year could be a pause, not a breakout.
In Episode 93 of The Weekly, we break down the biggest crypto stories from the past two weeks, including the controversial Polymarket trade tied to Venezuela’s regime change, conflicting institutional outlooks for Bitcoin in 2026, and why BlackRock quietly became the most profitable Bitcoin ETF issuer despite weak price action.
We also cover:
• Why some macro analysts think Bitcoin could lag gold in 2026
• Whether prediction markets should reward insider information
• BlackRock’s long-term vision for tokenized finance
• Stablecoins entering real-world payment rails via Korea
• Russia issuing crypto-backed loans
• Iran publicly accepting crypto for weapons purchases
A wide-ranging conversation on where crypto stands as it enters a more institutional — and geopolitical — phase.
00:00 Bitcoin's Price Resurgence and Predictions
01:44 Insider Trading and Prediction Markets
06:47 2026 Crypto Market Outlooks
15:11 SEC Changes and Political Dynamics
19:39 Institutional Adoption and Crypto Innovations
25:04 Global Crypto Use Cases and Controversies