Bitwise stated on Wednesday that Bitcoin's price swings in 2025 were milder than Nvidia's and projected that this lower volatility will persist in 2026. The firm linked Bitcoin's maturing profile to a decade-long decline in volatility, growing institutional participation, ETF products and a more diversified investor base, while also forecasting a new all-time high and continued outperformance of crypto-related equities over tech stocks.

Lightning Network capacity climbed to new highs as major exchanges funded channels, with 5,606 BTC on Monday and 5,637 BTC (about $490 million) on Tuesday. Lightning Labs updated Taproot Assets to v0.7, adding reusable addresses, an auditable supply, and larger transactions, while Tether led an $8 million round to enable stablecoin payments on LN.

Over the past three months, Bitcoin declined about 26% but still held up better than most major crypto sectors, including Ether, AI tokens, memecoins and real-world asset tokens. Several analysts say the figures highlight a market where capital remains concentrated in BTC, which many investors currently treat as a relatively safer option within the crypto space.