Michaël van de Poppe’s Altcoin Season Plan Revealed: Why 2026 Could Be Rewarding
Michaël van de Poppe suggests patient investors may be rewarded in 2026, emphasizing fundamental protocol growth over short-term narratives.Summary
Altcoins have recently underperformed Bitcoin, leading to investor frustration, a situation Michaël van de Poppe compares to past bear market phases like 2015 and 2019. However, he predicts that the coming year, 2026, could mark a pattern change where patient investors in the Web3 ecosystem are rewarded with positive returns.
Van de Poppe advises investors to focus portfolio construction on protocols demonstrating consistent development, ecosystem expansion, and real usage, rather than chasing trending narratives. He cited Arbitrum (ARB), Chainlink (LINK), and Near Protocol (NEAR) as examples of projects showing steady progress despite market weakness, noting Chainlink's strong development data.
Regarding future narratives, he remains bullish on AI, DeFi, infrastructure, and DePIN, anticipating regulatory clarity (like the CLARITY Act) and increased AI integration will drive momentum. Despite this long-term view, current market caps for DePIN and AI tokens show significant declines from early 2025 highs. For risk mitigation, van de Poppe recommends disciplined positioning, maintaining flexibility to exit, and setting clear fundamental invalidation levels, especially watching if Bitcoin breaks below the $86,000 liquidation zone.
(Source：BeInCrypto)