Crypto’s Bear Market? Wall Street Experts Weigh In

Is the crypto winter thawing? ❄️ Bitcoin has faced a "tricky period" since the October 2025 highs, but beneath the surface, the structural shift toward institutional finance is accelerating. In this inaugural BeInCrypto Institutional Counsel, we sit down with three of the most respected voices in digital assets to map out the road to recovery. Geoff Kendrick (Standard Chartered) breaks down the "orderly" sell-off triggered by macro events and explains why the current price action reminds him of Jeff Bezos’ famous 1990s Amazon outlook: the internal metrics are improving even if the stock price isn't. The Panelists: Geoff Kendrick: Global Head of Digital Assets Research, Standard Chartered. Matt Hougan: Chief Investment Officer, Bitwise Asset Management. Michael Walsh: Chair of a Standard Chartered Subsidiary & Kraken Entity. What we discuss: The "Barbell" Strategy: Why Bitcoin, Ethereum, and select DeFi apps like Aave are the "smart money" plays. Agentic Finance: The rise of AI bots trading on-chain and why Stripe is betting big on this future. Institutional Base Camp: Why the 2026 consolidation phase is different from the 2022 crash. The Path to $100K: Key catalysts, from the Clarity Act to the next round of tech earnings. ⏳ Timestamps (Optimized for "Key Moments") 0:00 - The Next Crypto Cycle: Beyond Price Action 1:57 - Geoff Kendrick on the October All-Time High & the "Trump Tweet" 3:25 - Why Aave and On-Chain Protocols are proving their resilience 3:54 - The Jeff Bezos 1990s Amazon Analogy for Bitcoin 5:07 - Matt Hougan: Why this winter is "shallower and shorter" 6:58 - Moving from "Narrative" to "Fundamental" growth 10:08 - Catalysts to watch: Agentic Finance & the Clarity Act 12:52 - Geoff Kendrick’s price targets: Why $100K is still the goal 15:23 - Michael Walsh: Using Volatility as a "Fear Index" for entry 17:48 - Will Tokenization happen on Private or Public Blockchains? 21:55 - The "Barbell" Visualization: Mega-caps vs. The "Messy Middle" Geoff Kendrick Standard Chartered, Matt Hougan Bitwise, Bitcoin Price Prediction 2026, Institutional Crypto Research, Agentic Finance Explained, Crypto Tokenization, BeInCrypto Podcast, Ethereum vs Solana TradFi, Geoff Kendrick Bitcoin Forecast, Matt Hougan Crypto Barbell Strategy, Standard Chartered Digital Assets Research, Bitcoin Tech Stock Correlation, AI Bots On-Chain Finance, Crypto Market Bottom 2026