VanEck predicts Bitcoin will become the best-performing asset by 2026, despite the fact that the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has disappointed many investors this year. Recent reports indicate that Bitcoin is currently underperforming significantly compared to gold and the Nasdaq 100 index – which comprises leading US technology stocks. This contradicts previous expectations that Bitcoin would strongly benefit from the depreciation of fiat currencies and prolonged loose monetary policy.
However, VanEck's perspective is more long-term. In its 2026 outlook report, David Schassler, Director of Multi-Asset Solutions at VanEck, argues that the current "mismatch" between Bitcoin and traditional risk assets is the prelude to a strong breakout cycle in the future. According to him, YTD Bitcoin's performance has been about 50% lower than the Nasdaq 100, and this unusual disparity makes Bitcoin potentially one of the best-performing assets in 2026 if history repeats itself.
Schassler analyzed that Bitcoin's weakness this year stems primarily from global investor risk aversion, coupled with tight liquidation amid persistently high interest rates. However, Bitcoin's fundamental elements—from its limited supply and decentralized nature to Vai increasingly prominent role as a long-term hedge asset—remain unshaken. Historically, Bitcoin tends to react strongly whenever the rate of currency devaluation increases and liquidation returns to financial markets. He also revealed that VanEck has been accumulating Bitcoin during this correction phase.
