Bitcoin and Ethereum’s dominance is being directly challenged in a new outlook from Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Mike McGlone, who believes that an unexpected contender is positioning itself to overtake both. Tether USDT’s market cap is steadily closing in on Ethereum, and Mike McGlone thinks the stablecoin’s ascent is only getting started, while the two largest cryptocurrencies may be headed in the opposite direction.

The Unlikely Contender Gaining Ground

Mike McGlone, senior macro strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, has singled out Tether (USDT) as the asset most likely to reshape the crypto market hierarchy in the near future. The crypto market has grown massively in recent years and is now flooded with millions of tokens. However, in a recent note issued this week, McGlone noted that capital is gravitating toward instruments that maintain stability and utility, especially in uncertain macro conditions, and Tether’s USDT is leading the charge. 

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Interestingly, McGlone also talked about a flippening of the crypto market ranks. However, this flippening is not the long-speculated scenario where Ethereum overtakes Bitcoin but a far less anticipated one where the dollar-backed stablecoin quietly surpasses both. “I expect the ‘flippening’ to continue, with Tether’s AUM topping Ethereum in 2026 and eventually Bitcoin,” McGlone wrote.

The gap between the two assets has narrowed considerably in the past year. Ethereum’s market capitalization currently stands at approximately $272 billion. Tether’s market cap, meanwhile, is around $184 billion. 

This time last year, the stablecoin was sitting at a $144.2 billion market cap, making it a 27.6% growth over the past year. Tether currently controls about 58% of the global stablecoin market cap, and together with USDC, the two account for around 82% of the total stablecoin cap.

Bitcoin’s Long Road Back To $10,000

McGlone pairs this stablecoin outlook with a notably bearish stance on Bitcoin. According to him, there’s a huge possibility of the Bitcoin price crashing to as low as $10,000. Bitcoin has been trading in a prolonged corrective phase following its 2025 all-time high, and a chart published alongside McGlone’s commentary shows that Bitcoin has always led both equity market upswings and downswings, and if equities are rolling over, Bitcoin may follow.

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The chart below shows Bitcoin’s yearly candle alongside the S&P 500 index and its 180-day volatility reading. The stock market volatility, which is at a reading of 12.5, is too low for 2026. A reversal in that trend could lead to further declines for Bitcoin, which is already showing signs of rejection above $70,000.

Bitcoin Yearly Chart. Source: @mikemcglone11 On X

Bitcoin must hold above $75,000 to invalidate the scenario of a crash to $10,000. Failure to do so, according to McGlone, opens the path to a deeper reversion to as low as the $10,000 range, which he highlights as a long-term equilibrium zone since the introduction of futures markets in 2017.

Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com