In a recent analysis surrounding the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF), crypto researcher Cheeky Crypto highlights how Hedera is strategically establishing itself as the “invisible plumbing” of an emerging machine-driven global economy. The platform is designed in such a way that users may not even realize they are using it. While many retail investors chase after meme coins and high-volatility assets, Hedera’s HBAR is being positioned as an enterprise utility token that fundamentally supports real-world financial and data infrastructures.
The analyst emphasizes Hedera’s prominent sponsorship role at Davos 2026, where it stood alongside major corporations such as Microsoft and Pfizer. A CNBC interview with Hedera’s leadership is noted for its focus on the “infrastructure of trust” necessary for future societal evolution, suggesting a departure from the attraction of retail cryptocurrencies.
The strength of the HBAR ecosystem is reinforced by visuals that depict Hedera’s Governing Council, a coalition of 39 organizations, including tech giants like Google, IBM, and Dell, acting as a “protective ring” around Hedera. The council’s membership is designed to be rotational, allowing companies such as Boeing and University College London to exit while new entrants like Repsol join, thereby keeping governance dynamic and diverse.
On-chain activity further substantiates the argument for HBAR’s utility, with over 71 billion transactions recorded on the network. A comparative analysis presented in the video indicates Hedera’s superior transaction throughput in contrast to traditional blockchains. Although network fees for the Hedera Consensus Service have seen an increase of approximately 800%—from $0.0001 to $0.0008 per transaction—they remain extraordinarily low by industry standards and aim to support node operator sustainability.
The analysis also pivots towards institutional moves, asserting that Hedera is leading in the development of “real-world assets” (RWA), exceeding competitors like Chainlink and Avalanche. A UK-regulated platform, Archax, has introduced “pool tokens” that bundle money market funds from major firms into settlements using HBAR. Prominent telecommunications firm Tata Communications is also utilizing Hedera for billing and asset management, seeking T+0 settlement to minimize intermediaries.
On the public sector side, Hedera is linked to various national carbon registries and projects like India’s state-level carbon bank, along with participation in Bank of England/BIS innovation hub experiments focused on wholesale central bank money. Additionally, Sweden’s Riksbank has explored using Hedera for its e-krona model, noting its efficiency in throughput and energy consumption.
A significant focus of the discussion is on HBAR’s role as a foundation for autonomous AI agents. By implementing a directed acyclic graph technology, referred to as “Hashgraph,” Hedera positions itself as capable of handling extensive parallel transactions—boasting over 10,000 transactions per second with finality time under three seconds. Fixed USD-denominated fees paid in HBAR are portrayed as essential for businesses managing thousands of autonomous agents seeking predictable micropayment costs.
Despite the robust network growth and institutional interest, HBAR’s market performance has been relatively stable, trading within a narrow band of $0.08–$0.14 for much of early 2026, often becoming the subject of “stablecoin” jokes. A technical analysis shared projects a potential price climb, suggesting a “value zone” between $0.18 and $0.28 in 2026, with resistance levels identified between $0.25 and $0.35, contingent upon the successful transition of pilot projects unveiled at Davos into full-scale operations.
Institutional accumulation is seen as a counterbalance to the prevailing weak retail sentiment, with a Canary-listed HBAR ETF reportedly acquiring more than 521 million HBAR—amounting to over 1% of its total supply—by February 2026. This influx of tokens from exchanges to long-term institutional holdings may create a significant supply shock.
For the crypto investment community, the underlying tension is becoming increasingly apparent: Hedera appears to be optimizing for institutional credibility, regulatory alignment, and machine-scale performance rather than catering to the desires for decentralization and retail-driven volatility. Should this analysis hold true, HBAR’s potential growth may rest less on speculative trends and more on whether it can become the default settlement layer for tokenized assets, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and AI-oriented commerce.
As the crypto landscape evolves, many investors are left contemplating their positions and expectations for Hedera amidst these foundational developments.
