The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will not only have a huge impact on the traditional stock markets, but could also have major consequences for the crypto sector. The CEO of Tether, publisher of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, warns of a risk that he believes will become increasingly visible in the coming years.
Bitcoin price remains strong, but vulnerable to AI bubble
According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, a possible AI bubble poses the biggest risk to Bitcoin (BTC) in 2026. In the Bitcoin Capital podcast, he states that companies are currently investing billions in data centers and chips. That overheating could lead to a crash, and if that happens, Bitcoin will be hit too.
Bitcoin is still “highly correlated” to the capital markets, Ardoino says. According to him, a stock market correction in AI shares could cause a shock wave in the crypto market. Yet he remains positive about BTC’s long-term strength, partly due to increasing adoption by governments and institutional investors.
He considers extremely deep crashes, such as the 80 percent declines in 2018 and 2022, unlikely. According to Ardoino, the market has become more mature, partly due to the involvement of institutional parties that ensure more stability.
Bitcoin briefly reached a low of around $80,000 in November, while in October it reached an all-time high of over $126,000. This puts the low point of the current correction at approximately 37 percent. That’s significant, but still a far cry from the deep declines seen in previous cycles.
Tokenization is growing, Europe is lagging behind
Ardoino is also positive about tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). These are digital versions of real assets such as shares or gold, which are on the blockchain. These assets can be traded more efficiently, are available 24/7 and, according to the CEO, offer enormous growth potential.
This is where real value creation will take place in the coming years, says Ardoino. He expects this market to grow exponentially.
At the same time, Ardoino is critical of Europe. According to him, the European Union is slowing down innovation with its strict regulations. “Europe, as always, lags behind in innovation,” says the Tether CEO. The MiCA rules would hinder rather than support the development of crypto.
Meanwhile, in the United States we see that innovation is stimulated by the pro-crypto policy of the Trump administration. As a result, tech exchange Nasdaq, among others, is investigating the possibilities of tokenizing shares.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also recently gave the green light to a pilot project by the DTCC, a central player in the settlement of stock and bond trading. The project, which will start in 2026, will allow shares and government bonds to be converted into blockchain tokens.
Source: https://newsbit.nl/tether-topman-ai-is-het-grootste-risico-voor-bitcoin-in-2026/
