1 Top Cryptocurrency to Buy Before It Soars 187% in 2026, According to Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson

It's hard to believe that, despite all the positive crypto news this year, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is in the red for 2025 (as of Dec. 29). President Donald Trump campaigned on pro-crypto policies and has so far delivered with key crypto legislation that should better clarify regulatory gray areas, opening a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and appointing much friendlier crypto regulators.

The world's largest cryptocurrency trades at more than $87,000 per coin, and Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says it's a top cryptocurrency to buy before it soars 187%.

Bitcoin is still benefiting from the same story

Hoskinson founded Cardano in 2015, and the blockchain network launched in 2017. Cardano is considered one of the strongest networks from a technical perspective. It operates on a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, in which coin holders stake their Cardano coins for the opportunity to validate transactions and earn rewards.

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Cardano's PoS, known as Ouroboros, differs from other PoS systems in that it has two layers, one for settlements and one for payments. This is part of what allows the network to process many transactions per second. Needless to say, Hoskinson is one of the more informed stakeholders in the crypto world. On the recent Altcoin Daily podcast, Hoskinson projected that Bitcoin would reach $250,000 by 2026, representing a roughly 187% increase in just one year.

Hoskinson sees the same dynamics that have pushed Bitcoin higher continuing to play out, such as institutional adoption and a favorable supply-and-demand dynamic. Bitcoin will only ever have 21 million coins, and most of these have already been mined and are in circulation. Hoskinson said that as more institutional investors buy Bitcoin, demand will naturally push the price higher:

Morgan Stanley just announced to its private wealth advisors -- there's 17,000 of them -- that they can start advising people to take crypto positions. You have all these structured financial products that are coming out built in a way to enable retail investors to come in through traditional investment mediums. So, they're not going to say, 'Go buy FuCoin or BobCoin or JimCoin.' They are going to say, 'Buy Bitcoin.'

Other large institutions may follow Morgan Stanley argument, according to Hoskinson, adding to demand from Bitcoin treasury companies and even sovereign governments, which gives him confidence in his $250,000 price prediction.

Another factor that could increase institutional adoption is the digital gold narrative, in which investors view Bitcoin as a similar hedge against currency debasement. Growing U.S. debt and a widening fiscal deficit have led many investors to believe that the U.S. dollar will lose value over time, as they bet that the Federal Reserve will continue printing money and the government will essentially have to inflate its way out of the debt situation.

This would make gold, and therefore Bitcoin, unique diversifiers to have in one's portfolio. There's still much debate surrounding this narrative, but if it becomes more apparent or if debasement becomes more obvious, this could also significantly increase institutional adoption.

Can Bitcoin really hit $250,000 in 2026?

As I will always say about Bitcoin price targets, approach them with skepticism. There is still a lot that investors likely do not understand about crypto, and cryptocurrencies are even tougher to value than traditional stocks. Crypto is also inherently riskier than most stocks, and the digital gold narrative has not been entirely proven out -- many still think Bitcoin trades like a high-beta tech stock.

However, that doesn't mean one can't allocate at least some capital to Bitcoin and generate good long-term returns. After all, there is a favorable supply-and-demand dynamic, more institutions and retail investors are buying Bitcoin, and it could prove to be a unique form of diversification that few assets can offer.

Bram Berkowitz has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.