Investments in the crypto industry from previous years will pay off as banks and corporations transition from pilot projects to full-scale adoption of blockchain technologies, according to Ripple’s president, Monica Long.
She highlighted four key areas that will transform the global financial system.
Stablecoins as the Foundation of Transactions
In the coming years, “stablecoins” will integrate into payment systems and become a primary, rather than alternative, tool. The B2B sector will be the main driver.
Long noted explosive growth: at the beginning of 2023, the volume of business payments in stablecoins did not exceed $100 million per month, whereas last year it reached $76 billion.
The Ripple president emphasized the importance of regulation, including the adoption of the GENIUS Act in the United States. She believes compliance assets like RLUSD will become the standard for round-the-clock payments and collateral use. This will unlock more than $700 billion in working capital currently idle on the balance sheets of companies in the S&P 1500 index.
Institutional Adoption
Long predicts that by the end of 2026, corporations will hold over $1 trillion in digital assets. According to a 2025 Coinbase survey, 60% of Fortune 500 companies are already working on blockchain initiatives.
It is expected that 5-10% of capital market transactions will move on-chain. This shift is facilitated by the launch of ETFs and asset tokenization by custodial banks and clearinghouses.
Custodian Consolidation
The asset custody sector is expected to experience a wave of mergers and acquisitions, Long believes. Custodian services are becoming mainstream, prompting providers to expand their functionalities. To mitigate risks, banks will adopt strategies involving multiple custodians simultaneously.
Long anticipates that by 2026, more than half of the top 50 global financial institutions will form new partnerships in this area.
Symbiosis of AI and Blockchain
The convergence of these technologies will automate financial routines. The combination of smart contracts and artificial intelligence will enable treasuries to manage liquidity and execute margin calls in real-time.
Privacy will play a crucial role. Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) will allow neural networks to assess borrowers’ creditworthiness without disclosing confidential data.
Back in January, a16z analysts predicted growth in prediction markets and ZK-proofs.