EthCC9: Bearish or Bullish in 2026?!

I participated in EthCC 9 in Cannes and I interviewed leading industry experts about the current state of the market and whether they hold a bullish or bearish outlook. The experts featured in this article include:

• Valeria Sofía Salazar, the CGO of Wonderland
• Vikrant Sharma, the founder and CEO of Cake Wallet
• Mike McCabe, product lead at 0xbow (Privacy pools)
• Alejandro Dopico, one of the co-founders of Sail
• Gauthier Vila, Founder of ZyFAI
• Loring Harkness, Head of Commercial at brainbot (Shutter Network)
• Marcus Rein, Senior Developer Relations at Edge & Node (The Graph)

**Valeria Sofía Salazar, the CGO of Wonderland:** ‘Bullish. Not simply because of short-term market movements, but because we’re seeing significant institutional adoption. If you look around EthCC, there are more institutional participants and events than ever before. I think the world is finally starting to pay serious attention to what’s happening in the blockchain industry. The projects that are real, sustainable, and operated like actual businesses are the ones that will survive and thrive long term.’

**Vikrant Sharma, the founder and CEO of Cake Wallet:** ‘I’m probably the wrong person to ask because I’m always bullish. I’m always buying. Whenever non-crypto people ask me whether it’s a good time to buy, it took me years to figure out the best response. My answer is, don’t ask me, because I’m permanently buying.’

**Mike McCabe, product lead at 0xbow (Privacy pools):** ‘Always bullish. Even when markets go down, I remain bullish. I focus on the long-term vision. Trading shorter timeframes is incredibly difficult, and honestly, I’m not very good at it. What I do believe in is long-term adoption. I can see the pace at which the industry is evolving, and I see the infrastructure being built. To me, it’s only a matter of time before market prices start reflecting that reality.’

**Alejandro Dopico, one of the co-founders of Sail:** ‘I think over the next couple of quarters, we may see some sideways movement and volatility, but by the end of 2026, I’m bullish. I don’t believe BTC is going to stay at these levels forever, and I also think the DeFi projects I mentioned earlier are positioned to perform very well. So overall, I’d definitely say bullish.’

**Gauthier Vila, Founder of ZyFAI: **‘I think people still talk a lot about traditional market cycles, but I believe crypto may be evolving beyond that framework. Just like after the dot-com era, industries mature. I think blockchain will continue growing more steadily over time. What will really matter is how regulatory developments like the Clarity Act and Genius Act unfold, because they could create the trust and legal framework needed for broader adoption. Once that happens, I think we’ll see major acceleration.’

**Loring Harkness, Head of Commercial at brainbot (Shutter Network): **Despite current market sentiment, I’m very bullish. We’re transitioning into a new phase. The past cycle focused heavily on speculation and financialization. That attracted a narrow audience. Now, builders are focusing on long-term infrastructure — systems designed to last decades. Ethereum, as a credibly neutral settlement layer, is central to this shift. We’re entering a phase of deeper innovation — more mature, practical, and aligned with core values.

**Marcus Rein, Senior Developer Relations at Edge & Node: **Honestly, neither. I see 2026 as a transition year. I don’t expect massive moonshots, but I also don’t expect major collapses. Crypto is currently finding its footing at the intersection of DeFi and traditional finance. Because of that, we’ll likely see volatility — some spikes and dips — but overall, I expect a more stable, consolidating year. I think 2027 and 2028 will give us better clarity. For now, it’s about observing how the market matures.

Watch the interview on my YouTube channel:

[embed]

About Crypto Diva

I’m already in the Future… Meet me there! Blockchain Technology is my passion and I have dedicated my career and research path to DeFi. My ultimate goal is to encourage more female professionals in the DeFi industry.

As the Sales and Marketing Manager of coinIX & COINVEST, I’ve got the privilege of being in close contact with Blockchain investment firms, as well as the innovative web3 projects which are creating the foundations the future financial world. I love to make the impossible possible and i’m willing to go the extra mile for that. Be my companion in my DeFi journey and I’ll show you everything.

Peace & Love,

Your Crypto Diva

Keep in touch with me

[embed]EthCC9: Interview with Wonderland-Foundational engineering for frontier tech Wonderland is a Web3 core development and engineering group that works with blockchain protocols and infrastructure…medium.com