Nouriel Roubini has warned about an impending cryptocurrency market “apocalypse.” In response to Roubinin, even probably the most pro-crypto administration in historical past has failed to avoid wasting a sector he claims affords no use circumstances past crime and corruption.
Roubini is satisfied that the business is on the verge of a “full-blown” apocalypse.
The failing pro-crypto administration
A 12 months in the past, the narrative was that the brand new pro-crypto administration was imagined to mark the daybreak of a brand new golden age for cryptocurrency.
The promise of deregulation prompted cryptocurrency evangelists to foretell that the main cryptocurrency might doubtlessly surge to $200,000.
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The truth, nonetheless, has been a catastrophe. The market has cratered regardless of some efforts from the administration to propel it
As of February 2026, Bitcoin is down 35% from its October peak. On Tuesday, it reached the bottom stage since November 2024.
The implosion of “digital gold”
Geopolitical instability, commerce disputes, and ballooning deficits pushed gold costs up by over 60%. In sharp distinction, Bitcoin fell by 6% over the identical interval.
“Each time gold has spiked in response to commerce or geopolitical ructions over the previous 12 months, Bitcoin has fallen sharply,” Roubini writes. “Removed from being a hedge, it’s a strategy to leverage danger.”
Roubini argues that calling crypto a forex has at all times been “bogus.” He’s satisfied that it fails as a unit of account, a method of fee, and a retailer of worth.
The tip of the experiment
Roubini concludes that the one “killer app” crypto has produced in 17 years is the stablecoin.
He warns that true decentralized finance (DeFi) won’t ever scale as a result of no critical authorities will permit the anonymity required for it to perform, as it will be a boon for criminals.
The way forward for cash, he argues, can be a “gradual evolution” led by improved conventional ledgers.

