Key Highlights
- Ripple President Monica Long says nearly 50% of Fortune 500 companies could hold crypto exposure or formal digital asset strategies by 2026.
- Stablecoins and onchain assets are expected to move into core corporate and capital market operations, with up to 10% of settlements shifting onchain.
- Institutional custody and crypto-related M&A may accelerate, with about half of the world’s top 50 banks forming new custody partnerships in 2026.
Ripple President Monica Long has signaled a potential turning point in how large corporations interact with blockchain-based financial systems. She has forecasted that nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies may adopt crypto exposure by the end of 2026.
In a detailed post shared on X, Long described 2026 as a critical phase for the industry, marking what she called the “institutionalization of crypto.” Her comments come after a year of increased activity in stablecoins, tokenized assets, and crypto-linked financial infrastructure across global markets.
Long says that the uptake of crypto by businesses will cease to be experimental. The next 12 months will see a surge in Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) strategies. This isn’t just about holding Bitcoin; it’s about a multi-pronged approach to balance sheet management, such as holdings of tokenized real-world assets, on-chain U.S. Treasury bills, stablecoins, and programmable financial instruments.
Long wrote, “Crypto is no longer speculative—it’s becoming the operating layer of modern finance,” and that the shift is indicative of increasing institutional confidence and not a short-term market mania.
Capital markets and stablecoins spur institutional interest
Stablecoins were identified by Long as one of the most important catalysts of this transition. She added that digital dollars are becoming more and more a settlement basis globally, as opposed to a payment system.
She says that stablecoins are being used by firms to enhance real-time liquidity, capital efficiency, and cross-border settlement, particularly in business-to-business transactions.
Her remarks are in line with the recent developments by traditional payment companies. In the last year, companies like Visa and Stripe have increased stablecoin-based settlement pilots, which is indicative of a wider interest in blockchain-based payment rails.
Long also indicated the increasing institutional involvement via capital markets. Although crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have increased access to investors, she observed that ETFs remain a minor fraction of the market.
She estimated that 5%-10% of capital markets settlement would shift on-chain as institutions pursue more collateral mobility and shorter settlement cycles.
Banking adoption, M&A, and custody
On acquisitions and mergers, Long quoted $8.6 billion of crypto-related deal volume in 2025, which is mostly institutional. She claimed that custody services are becoming a core area of focus by 2026.
Long projects that 50% of the world’s top 50 banks will formalize new crypto custody relationships this year. No longer content with single-vendor risk, banks are adopting “multi-custodian” models to manage institutional-grade operational risk.
“Crypto is no longer speculative—it’s becoming the operating layer of modern finance,” Long shared.
This trend is supported by recent deals. Cryptocurrency companies also entered conventional finance in 2025, with Kraken acquiring NinjaTrader and Ripple itself acquiring treasury and prime brokerage firms to augment its institutional offerings.
The importance of this to the crypto market
Provided it comes to pass, the estimates made by Long indicate a change in the perception of crypto, not as a risky investment category, but as a fundamental element of corporate financial infrastructure.
More enterprise adoption may affect the liquidity of the market, regulatory transparency, and demand for compliant blockchain solutions.
Long also observed that the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence would automate the treasury functions and risk management further, but she stated that the privacy-saving technologies would still be necessary.
The time frame is still unclear, but her remarks represent a larger industry story: the next stage of crypto can be less about retail speculation and more about the extent to which it is integrated into the world of financial systems.
Also Read: BVNK Partners with Visa to Power Stablecoin Payments
