According to foreign sources, during an interview recently conducted by the founder of Bian, Zhao Chang Peng, the continuing fall in the encryption market in the first half of 2026 was attributed to a combination of multiple factors rather than a single event impact. The judgements include financial flows to AI, geographical tensions and the four-year cycle common in the encrypted market.

Bitcoin's a little higher, about half.

According to the report, Bitcoin was close to $96,000 at the beginning of 2026 and then returned to the vicinity of approximately $60,000. In a longer period of time, bitcoin rose to $126,000 in October 2025 and is now about 50 per cent higher than then.

According to Zhao Chang Peng, it is difficult to explain the fall with a single reason. In addition to macro-geographic factors, some of the high-risk funds that might otherwise have flowed to encrypted assets have been diverted to AI-related companies and diverted from the market.

AI, diverting funds, but not necessarily bad for long.

According to Zhao Chang Peng, it is not surprising that new industries attract short-term hot money. In his view, the transfer of funds was a short-term pressure on the encryption industry, but not necessarily a negative factor in the long term.

He also mentioned that the forecast of rapid market growth contributed to price discovery and liquidity formation. Although such markets were speculative, he believed that speculators themselves were an important source of liquidity for financial markets.

  • Bitcoin was once higher than $96,000.
  • It's about 50% higher than in 2025.
  • Around $60,000.

The progress of United States legislation is not a long-term determinant

With regard to the future of encryption regulation in the United States, Zhao Chang Peng stated that the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, if not passed within the year, would not necessarily change the United States dominance in encryption regulation. This is due to the fact that the United States is still moving ahead with other related bills and that a global multi-country regulatory framework for digital assets continues to be in place.

He mentioned that the United States already has GENIUS Act, which focuses on the stabilization currency. If the Clarity Act is successfully adopted, other States may follow up; if the bill is deferred, other jurisdictions may move ahead.

It's about American political scrutiny.

Zhao Chang Peng also mentioned that, after the mid-term elections in the United States, the pro-encoded position of the Trump Government and the amnesty for some of the encryption industry might face further scrutiny if the Democratic Party regained control of at least one house of Congress. Zhao Chang Peng himself was one of the targets of the amnesty.

With regard to possible future investigations and inquiries, he expressed his willingness to provide information and stated that he had nothing to hide. With regard to electoral politics in the United States, he said that he would try to stay as far away as possible, but believed that politicians opposed to encrypted assets might lose some of their electorate.