Hougan Picks Bitcoin and Zcash as Long-Term Crypto Holders

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan has shared his picks for long-term crypto assets. According to him, Bitcoin is an ideal hedge against currency debasement, citing a Bitwise model that suggests its fair value could reach $224,000 by 2026. He also endorses Zcash for its focus on privacy, predicting growing demand as AI reshapes financial activity monitoring.

Hougan sees the next decade as a tokenization super cycle, with Ethereum (ETH) as the settlement layer, Solana (SOL) as a high-throughput alternative, and Uniswap (UNI) as an exchange. He believes institutional flows will drive adoption, particularly from wirehouses like Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch.

Zcash's market capitalization has reached $17 billion, surpassing Dogecoin, following the launch of Grayscale's ZCSH ETF on August 25. The fund held $414.7 million by September 3. Hougan sees a growing need for financial privacy as AI increases monitoring capabilities.