3 Signs We’ve Entered the Crypto Bull Market

Major crypto assets have finally picked up once again after months of struggle. Naturally, one would wonder whether the crypto bull market cycle is now in.

The good news is that the bull market run has commenced. This article highlights three signs to prove this. These signs provide clear evidence to help anyone answer the million-dollar question: “Are we now in the crypto bull market?”

#1: Increased Hiring for Crypto-Focused Roles

During bull markets, crypto companies typically have more money to spend, so they expand their workforce. Conversely, bear markets often bring layoffs and project shutdowns. Notably, for most of this year, hundreds of crypto firms have shut down operations because of financial struggles.

Such a purge of struggling projects in itself is often a sign that those who remain are financially strong enough to enter the next bull cycle. This is especially true in the case of those who commence hiring.

According to data from CryptoJobsList, a platform for crypto-focused jobs, crypto companies increased their hiring in September 2026. In July and August, there were 382 and 886 job openings, respectively. However, in September, the figures soared to 1,241 job posts from 125 companies. The firms that dominated the hiring market were Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.

Another interesting metric is September’s job applications. Unlike July and August, where applicants totaled 26,728 and 24,641, respectively, September saw a reduction in applicants to 19,605 despite the surge in job openings. Why the drop? CryptoJobsList suggested this was because formerly laid-off employees have reentered the workforce, allowing new talent to secure jobs.

Beyond those currently hiring, we also see crypto firms that recently onboarded new executive talent. For example, Solana Foundation appointed a former Binance marketing lead and former Polygon Labs employee to commence executive roles in September.

The career pages of crypto firms show that hiring has ramped up, with many offering competitive pay for various roles. This hints that we’ve finally entered the crypto bull market.

#2: Rising Technologies

In every crypto bull cycle, there is a notable leap in blockchain applications. In 2020, for instance, the market saw the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi), shortly followed by non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Also, memecoins and Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) drove the market surge between 2024 and 2025.

Today, the rising technologies pointing to the start of the next crypto bull market are the real-world asset (RWA) sector and the growth of privacy-focused protocols.

The RWA sector paved the way for institutions to tokenize their products and services on the blockchain. This way, anyone can access them by holding tokens representing these assets. Even better, projects were able to incorporate these tokenized assets into the DeFi ecosystem, enabling holders to potentially boost yield.

The DefiLlama chart below shows that between 2025 and 2026, the RWA sector has significantly grown. Between June 2025 and October 2026, the RWA active market capitalization soared from $10.91 billion to $38.87 billion, up over 256%.

Already, $5.88 billion worth of these assets have been funnelled into DeFi. Interestingly, over $2 billion of this amount was poured into DeFi between June and October this year. Asset groups like bonds, money-market funds, and tokenized stocks were among the top gainers this year.

The RWA market’s increased growth has helped onboard institutions into the crypto industry, paving the way for the next bull run.

Another rising technology that has caught attention is privacy infrastructure. Admittedly, privacy-focused protocols like Zcash and Monero have existed for a decade or longer. Still, many such projects saw their best performance in 2026. For instance, the CoinGecko chart below shows that privacy coins soared above $39 billion in September for the first time.

Blockchain is traditionally designed to be transparent. This means anyone can view every transaction and wallet balance. This publicity has made institutions refrain from harnessing blockchain technology to bolster their services. With privacy projects in the picture, these once-disinterested firms have joined the bandwagon.

Some privacy-focused projects came into the spotlight after asset managers filed for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) backed by these assets. One such example is Zcash. In August 2026, Grayscale received approval to offer the Zcash ETF. This caused Zcash’s price to soar, hitting an 8-year high. It currently sits among the top 10 crypto assets.

Other privacy-focused crypto projects that have garnered attention within the past year include Cardano’s Midnight, Canton Network, and Railgun.

#3: Historical Charts

Bitcoin’s price historically sinks within 12 months of hitting a new all-time high (ATH). Then, at the end of that 12-month-period, the apex coin enters the early stage of a new market cycle.

BTC has kept up this trend for years. For example, in November 2013, bitcoin soared to $1,200. Around late November to early December 2014, it had dropped to $365.

In December 2017, the apex crypto rose above $19,400. At the end of the 12 months, it dropped to $3,500. In early November 2021, BTC attained a peak value of $69,000. Fast-forward to November 2022, and the coin sank to $15,700.

Recall that BTC saw its current ATH of over $124,000 in October 2025. As of this writing, the coin has completed its 12-month price drop.

What next? Bitcoin is expected to start a new market cycle of price surge. Based on historical data, BTC holders should anticipate upward price movement starting from October 2026.

Since BTC’s price surge often rubs off on other crypto assets, the broader crypto market is also in line for notable price increases in the near future.

Conclusion

October often comes with a significant price surge for cryptocurrencies, especially BTC. No wonder it is dubbed “Uptober” among crypto enthusiasts. Still, instead of speculating and blindly hoping for a pump, this article provides three irrefutable pieces of evidence to show that we’re now in the next bull market cycle.

When will the market pump come? No one knows for sure. That is both the thrill and the agony of the market since nobody can predict when it will start printing significant green candles.

While historical data shows BTC enters a new market cycle after 12 months, this does not mean the apex coin will suddenly start a significant price surge after that period. It will likely take some months for bitcoin to experience a notable increase, as has been the case in past market cycles.