As digital assets mature, Paul Quickenden from Swyftx explains why the smartest move investors can make is revisiting their plan and tuning out the noise.
What’s happening: Digital assets closed 2025 with steady infrastructure growth rather than dramatic price movements. Stablecoins now power transactions rivalling Visa and PayPal, whilst regulatory frameworks have strengthened across major markets. Investors entering 2026 face a maturing market where fundamentals increasingly outweigh speculation.
Why this matters: The shift from volatility-driven cycles to infrastructure-led growth requires investors to rethink their approach. Rather than chasing predictions, those who build disciplined frameworks and focus on long-term fundamentals are positioned to navigate 2026’s opportunities whilst avoiding emotional decision-making that typically undermines portfolio performance.
Every January arrives with bold forecasts and dramatic headlines, yet markets rarely follow anyone’s script. For crypto investors, 2025 defied expectations by resisting the usual boom-bust rhythms and instead building momentum quietly behind the scenes.
Paul Quickenden, Swyftx New Zealand Country Manager, observes that this calm was unexpected but healthy. “Stablecoins matured, infrastructure companies built relentlessly and regulatory pathways became clearer,” he says. “Momentum was building even when price action looked unexciting from the outside.”
The industry moved decisively forward throughout 2025, even as price charts appeared unremarkable. Blockchains now process over 3,400 transactions per second, representing 100-fold growth over five years, whilst payment rails strengthened and stablecoins accounted for 30% of crypto transaction volume between January and July 2025.
For Quickenden, the smarter question for 2026 isn’t what the market will do, but rather how investors should approach it. “The single most consistent truth across every cycle is this: the market will test your psychology long before it tests your portfolio,” he explains.
Make your plan
Investors with long-term strategies should simply revisit their plan and stay the course, according to Quickenden. “Don’t tweak it because of a headline or abandon it because a chart dipped. Clear strategies outperform reactive ones, and conviction comes from knowing why you’re invested in the first place.”
For those without a plan, defining time horizons, risk appetite and a consistent investment rhythm removes emotion from the equation. “Investors rarely fail because of bad timing,” Quickenden notes. “They fail because they drift.”
New Zealand has the rare chance to take a holistic approach that balances innovation, safety and global competitiveness, Quickenden has previously observed regarding tokenisation opportunities. That window for strategic positioning applies equally to individual investors.
Zoom out
Markets are built to test nerves, rising when you expect them to fall and stalling when momentum seems certain. “This year will be no different,” says Quickenden. “Macro signals will be mixed. Crypto headlines will swing between optimistic and gloomy. Some weeks will feel electric, others will feel flat.”
The real portfolio risk isn’t volatility but the urge to overreact. Sideways months and quiet stretches test conviction, yet they’re often when the most important groundwork is laid.
Quickenden points to 2025 as a perfect example. Whilst price charts looked unremarkable, infrastructure improved dramatically. USDT processed roughly $703 billion monthly, peaking at $1.01 trillion in June 2025, demonstrating the scale of payment infrastructure development happening beneath surface-level price action.
“Long-term investors don’t just chase movement,” he observes. “They position themselves for what the movement will one day reveal.”
Track what matters
One lesson from 2025 was that speculation no longer dominates conversations as it once did. Tokenised cash and bonds helped grow the on-chain liquidity pool, with the launch of SPXA, the first licensed S&P 500 token, quickly drawing over US$500 million from institutions during volatility.
Markets behaved more rationally and adoption grew steadily without the emotional whiplash of previous cycles. “This quiet maturity is a signal in itself,” says Quickenden.
The developments worth tracking in 2026 include payment innovations, institutional flows, the continued evolution of stablecoins, government strategy and infrastructure milestones. “These developments don’t get the same attention as price spikes, but they matter far more when it comes to long-term investments,” he notes.
Infrastructure providers have bridged gaps between traditional banking systems and on-chain assets, enabling banks to process stablecoins with institutional-grade controls. Stablecoin adoption is not a question of if, but of how to execute, according to recent industry research.
Consistency compounds
The investors who succeed in any cycle aren’t typically those with the flashiest strategies, Quickenden observes. They’re the ones who make small, regular decisions, avoid overreacting, stay across meaningful shifts, keep their long-term thesis front and centre, and treat investing as a habit rather than a hobby.
“Consistency compounds. Patience compounds. But emotion does the opposite,” he says.
Bringing rhythm and rationality into 2026 makes the year far easier to navigate, regardless of what the market delivers. If 2025 was the year digital assets quietly grew up, 2026 rewards investors with frameworks rather than predictions.
“Be consistent, stay informed and don’t let the noise drown out your strategy,” Quickenden advises. “Here’s to a clear head, a steady hand and a confident start to 2026.”
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