Marcus L. Bennett reported that institutional crypto is shedding its pilot-project skin and moving into core financial plumbing, with Ripple President Monica Long predicting that half of Fortune 500 companies will run formal digital-asset treasury strategies by 2026.
At a Glance
- Stablecoins, tokenized assets, and custody are replacing limited trials inside big firms.
- 60% of Fortune 500 companies already work on blockchain initiatives, per a 2025 Coinbase survey.
- $8.6 billion in crypto M&A during 2025 shows banks racing to diversify custody risk.
- Why it matters: Corporations are treating crypto as everyday infrastructure, not a trading sideshow, reshaping balance-sheet management and payment rails.
The shift, Long wrote in a January 20 essay on Ripple’s website and a parallel thread on X, is powered by three pillars: stablecoins for settlement, on-chain tokenized instruments, and expanded custody networks. She framed the transition as a move from “pilots to production,” with banks and corporates embedding dollar-backed crypto assets into routine operations.
Stablecoins Move to the Center
Long highlighted that payment giants Visa and Stripe have already woven stablecoins into parts of their infrastructure, lured by faster settlement and tighter liquidity control. The GENIUS Act, signed into U.S. law, delivered regulatory clarity for dollar-backed crypto assets, removing a hurdle that had kept many treasurers on the sidelines.
Ripple’s own play in the space includes Ripple USD and conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to form a national trust bank. The company is positioning itself as both coin issuer and regulated custodian as demand accelerates.
Corporate Balance Sheets Expand Beyond Bitcoin
The 2025 Coinbase survey cited by Long found that 60% of Fortune 500 firms already run blockchain initiatives, while more than 200 public companies held Bitcoin at year-end. Long expects the next wave to feature:
- Stablecoins for working capital
- Tokenized U.S. Treasuries for yield
- Other on-chain instruments managed under formal treasury policies
She anticipates that by 2026 half of the Fortune 500 will treat these digital holdings as standard line items rather than one-off experiments.
ETFs and Custody Fuel Access
Institutional on-ramps are widening. Ethereum and Solana ETFs logged record trading volumes in early January 2026, signaling steady appetite rather than brief spikes. Asset managers are widening the funnel further: Bitwise filed for 11 single-asset altcoin ETFs on December 31, 2025, spanning DeFi tokens, layer-1 networks, and AI-linked projects.
Long argued that ETFs, while a thin slice of overall crypto markets, give institutions a familiar wrapper to gain exposure. Behind the scenes, custody consolidation is accelerating. Crypto M&A hit $8.6 billion in 2025, with banks under pressure to spread risk across multiple custodians rather than rely on a single provider.
She forecasts that more than half of the world’s top 50 banks will formalize new custody relationships this year, pairing blockchain systems with automation tools so treasuries and asset managers can manage liquidity and collateral 24/7.
Timeline of Key Events
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2025 | Bitwise files for 11 single-asset altcoin ETFs |
| Jan 20, 2026 | Monica Long publishes Ripple essay and X posts outlining 2026 outlook |
| Early Jan 2026 | Ethereum and Solana ETFs post record volumes |
| 2025 | Coinbase survey shows 60% of Fortune 500 active on blockchain |
| 2025 | Crypto M&A totals $8.6 billion, custody deals prominent |
Key Takeaways
- Institutional crypto is no longer experimental. Stablecoins and tokenized assets are becoming embedded in daily settlement flows.
- Regulatory clarity matters. The GENIUS Act is cited as a catalyst for U.S. adoption of dollar-backed crypto assets.
- Custody is the new battleground. Banks are diversifying providers, driving a wave of M&A and partnership announcements.
- ETFs act as gateways. Record volumes and new filings show traditional structures still matter for institutional comfort.
While Long’s projections are forward-looking, they align with a growing view among large crypto firms that institutional usage, not retail hype, is now steering sector development.
