Looking ahead to 2026, crypto's footprint is set to sprawl far beyond the blockchain itself. Prediction markets are expected to hit mainstream adoption as they increasingly tap into AI capabilities, while decentralized mechanisms replace traditional arbitration. Meanwhile, cryptographic proofs open up entirely new possibilities—enabling us to verify computational integrity in real-world applications that have nothing to do with cryptocurrency. Then there's the emerging concept of "staked media," which leverages on-chain commitments to anchor credibility directly into the architecture. Essentially, reputation becomes something you can stake, and that stake has real consequences. These shifts suggest crypto's influence isn't growing wider within its own ecosystem—it's breaking out into adjacent domains.