BlackRock has presented a thematic forecast for 2026, focusing on two key trends — the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the growing role of asset tokenization in financial markets. The company emphasizes that the era of experiments in AI has ended, and the industry is now in a scaling phase, prompting investors to focus on infrastructure capabilities, particularly in energy and data centers.
This is reported by Finway
Investment potential of AI infrastructure
The document notes that the main constraint for further AI growth is the availability and stability of electricity, as well as network bandwidth and the development of new infrastructure facilities. It is projected that by 2040, total investments in energy and data center sectors necessary to support AI could exceed $100 trillion. The authors highlight that modern artificial intelligence services require increasingly more computational resources, which in turn raises the demand for upgrades to energy capacities and data transmission networks.
A separate section is dedicated to the capital intensity of the industry: in 2025 alone, companies working with AI attracted approximately $150 billion in investments, and large deals, such as OpenAI’s $40 billion funding round, indicate strong interest from both public and private investors.
Asset tokenization and the role of cryptocurrencies
In its forecast, BlackRock also emphasizes the transformation of the cryptocurrency market, where stablecoins and asset tokenization are identified as key drivers. Experts note that transaction volumes in stablecoins are growing faster than spot trading of other crypto assets, indicating a gradual shift in focus from trading to using digital assets for payments and settlements.
“BlackRock emphasizes stablecoins and tokenization, linking them to settlements and financial infrastructure. The report states that transaction volumes in ‘stablecoins’ are growing faster than spot trading volumes of crypto assets.”
The role of the Ethereum network is highlighted, with analysts estimating that it accounts for over 65% of tokenized assets, making it a key platform for the future development of tokenization. The report emphasizes that stablecoins serve as an example of tokenization with fiat currency as the underlying asset, but the potential for expanding this technology includes other asset classes.
Experts identify the growing institutional interest in Bitcoin through ETF products as an important trend. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) reached a record $70 billion in assets under management within 341 trading days, indicating the strengthening of Bitcoin’s position in the portfolios of large investors. BlackRock notes that the themes of AI and crypto assets are becoming not just trends, but a separate construct for building modern investment portfolios.
Overall, the company forecasts that investments in the development of AI infrastructure in 2026 will exceed $500 billion, and the digital asset market will continue to grow due to innovations in tokenization and the expansion of institutional participation.