Will 2026 Be the Year of Bitcoin Financialization?

In today's Markets Outlook, Bitlayer Co-Founder Charlie Hu joins CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie to discuss the major test bitcoin faces following the US military operation in Venezuela. Plus, he analyzes the 2026 market outlook, exploring how hyperinflation and geopolitical shifts are driving bitcoin adoption, and the rise of decentralized finance. - Check out CoinDesk’s research report on the State of Blockchain 2025 commissioned by Input Output Group: https://www.coindesk.com/research/state-of-the-blockchain-2025 - Timecodes: 01:27 - Analyzing the "Relief Rally" 02:21 - Bitcoin as a Lifeline Against Hyperinflation in Venezuela 05:39 - Digital Gold vs. Precious Metals in 2026 08:22 - Biggest Bottleneck Preventing Bitcoin from Entering DeFi 12:36 - Does the Rise of Stablecoins Change the Value Prop of Bitcoin in Emerging Markets? 15:49 - Why Charlie Still Believes Bitcoin is Headed to Another ATH 17:25 - What Charlie is Watching in 2026 #cryptocurrency #digitalfinance #finance #bitcoin #crypto Subscribe to CoinDesk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CoinDesk?sub_confirmation=1 CoinDesk is the leading digital media, events and information services company for the crypto asset and blockchain technology community. Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/coindesk LinkedIn: https://www.din.com/company/coindesk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coindesk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoinDesk Newsletters: https://www.coindesk.com/newsletters CoinDesk Podcast Network: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jyIhkvAQhed8AWDZiPpSP Markets Daily Crypto Roundup: https://open.spotify.com/show/7sDXM8BlxsUqzL2IqmLqwE