According to Ripple, 2026 will be the year when crypto infrastructure shifts decisively from proof-of-concept to full-scale institutional deployment. Insights shared by Ripple President Monica Long suggest the next phase of growth will be driven not by hype, but by real balance-sheet adoption.
Ripple’s outlook positions stablecoins as the centerpiece of modern finance. Rather than serving as a secondary payment tool, regulated stablecoins are expected to become the default for global settlement.
Legislative clarity in the US, combined with the increasing acceptance of dollar-backed stablecoins that meet regulations, accelerates Ripple's transition to what it describes as the digital dollar era.
Visa and Stripe payment networks are already implementing stablecoin rails into their current payment systems.
B2B payments experience their highest growth as real-time settlement and programmable liquidity solutions address existing operational problems.
Corporate balance sheets are expected to reach total digital asset holdings above $1 trillion as multiple Fortune 500 companies establish their blockchain strategies.
The industry now considers tokenized assets, on-chain treasuries, stablecoins and programmable financial instruments as capital efficiency tools.
As crypto exposure becomes normalized, collateral mobility, moving capital instantly across markets, emerges as a major institutional unlock, with a growing share of capital market settlement expected to move on-chain.
Ripple observes that the crypto custody industry is experiencing rapid consolidation because of increasing regulatory requirements and growing bank custody needs.
Global institutions implement multi-custodian systems for risk management purposes, while market consolidation through mergers and acquisitions demonstrates industry development.
The finance industry now considers custody as essential infrastructure, which integrates digital asset integration into its operations.
Ripple points out that artificial intelligence and blockchain are converging fast. The system will use AI models with smart contracts to run its liquidity operations, asset management, and risk evaluation process on a 24/7 basis.
Privacy-preserving technologies will allow sensitive financial data to be analyzed without direct exposure, enabling compliant automation at scale.
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Stablecoins as settlement: Regulated stablecoins are expected to replace legacy payment rails, enabling faster, cheaper, and always-on global settlement for institutions.
Digital dollar era: Clear US Regulation around compliant dollar-backed stablecoins will accelerate adoption.
B2B payment growth: Enterprise transactions emerge as crypto’s largest real-world use case, driven by real-time settlement and programmable liquidity needs
Trapped liquidity: Corporations use stablecoins to unlock idle capital, improving cash-flow efficiency and working capital management.
Balance sheet adoption: Digital assets move from speculative holdings to normalized financial instruments on corporate balance sheets.
Tokenized markets: On-chain assets modernize capital markets by reducing settlement time, intermediaries, and operational friction.
Collateral mobility: Instant capital movement across markets becomes a core requirement for institutional efficiency and risk management.
Custody consolidation: Regulatory pressure and institutional demand accelerate mergers, making custody foundational financial infrastructure.
Custody consolidation: Regulatory pressure and institutional demand accelerate mergers, making custody foundational financial infrastructure.
Blockchain + AI: Smart contracts combined with AI automate liquidity, risk, and financial operations in real time.