CertiK 2026 Skynet Prediction Markets Report: 4x Volume Growth amid Rising Security and Regulatory Risks

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CertiK, the largest Web3 security services provider, released its 2026 Skynet Prediction Markets Report, an in-depth analysis of the prediction markets sector following a year of explosive growth, heightened security exposure, and evolving global regulation. 

The report states that prediction markets entered the mainstream in 2025, with annual trading volume increasing fourfold and market activity consolidating around a small number of dominant platforms. According to CertiK’s Skynet Top Board evaluation framework, Kalshi, Polymarket, and Opinion now account for the majority of global volume, each pursuing different regulatory, technical, and architectural approaches. 

However, this growth introduced heightened risks. In December 2025, a third-party authentication provider used by Polymarket was compromised, illustrating how hybrid Web2/Web3 architectures can create centralized points of failure, even when underlying smart contracts remain secure. CertiK states that on-chain platforms continue to face persistent threats such as oracle manipulation, administrative key vulnerabilities, and front-running. 

Research cited in CertiK’s report estimates that artificial volume reached as high as 60% on some platforms during peak airdrop-driven incentive periods, distorting liquidity signals and trading activity. Despite this, probability outputs across major platforms generally remained reliable for forecasting outcomes. 

Following Kalshi’s successful challenge before the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), prediction markets are now recognized as legal financial products at the federal level in the United States. However, multiple EU countries have banned Polymarket as unauthorized gambling, and emerging state-level restrictions in the U.S. threaten to create a fragmented compliance environment. 

Looking ahead, CertiK’s report identifies prediction markets as evolving infrastructure for pricing uncertainty across multiple domains. In 2026, CertiK anticipates that additional jurisdictions will formally establish prediction markets, technical improvements such as privacy enhancements will accelerate, and institutional adoption will continue to grow. 

About CertiK

CertiK is the largest Web3 security services provider, utilizing industry-leading formal verification technology to protect and monitor blockchain protocols and smart contracts. Founded in December 2017 by professors from Yale University and Columbia University, CertiK applies cutting-edge innovations from academia to enterprise, enabling mission-critical applications to scale with safety and correctness.

One of the fastest-growing and most trusted companies in blockchain security, CertiK is a true market leader. To date, CertiK has worked with more than 5,000 enterprise clients, secured over $600 billion worth of digital assets, and detected more than 180,000 vulnerabilities in blockchain code. Its clients include industry-leading projects such as Binance, Ethereum Foundation, BNB Chain, Aptos, Ripple, Sandbox, Polygon, and TON.

Since its inception, CertiK has secured investments from 12 top-tier funds, including Sequoia, Coatue, Goldman Sachs, Shunwei Capital and Insight Partners, with a valuation of more than $2 billion. 

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Contact

Elisa Yiting Xu
yiting.xu@certik.com 

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SOURCE CertiK