72% of finance chiefs plan crypto adoption

TLDR

A new Ripple survey reports that roughly three quarters of global finance leaders now see digital assets as essential to staying competitive.

1. Ripples 2026 survey of 1,000+ executives finds 72% of finance leaders say offering digital asset solutions is now table stakes for competitiveness.
2. Stablecoins and tokenization, not speculative coins, dominate planned adoption, with strong focus on custody, security certifications and one stop infrastructure partners.
3. This points to growing institutional demand for stablecoin rails and tokenized assets, with regulation, security and infrastructure providers as key drivers to watch.

Deep Dive

1. What The 72% Figure Really Says

Ripples global survey of more than 1,000 finance executives across banks, asset managers, fintechs and corporates found that 72% believe companies must offer digital asset solutions to remain competitive, according to multiple reports on the survey findings.

Coverage of the survey notes that the industry has largely moved from asking whether to adopt digital assets to focusing on how to implement them safely and at scale, with many respondents treating crypto capabilities as a basic requirement rather than an experiment.

2. How Finance Chiefs Plan To Use Crypto

Survey breakdowns show that stablecoins are the leading use case. Around 74% of respondents say stablecoins can improve cash flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital in treasury operations, shifting them from pure payment tools toward core cash management.

Institutions are also evaluating tokenization of financial assets, with about 89% prioritizing secure storage and custody when choosing partners, and banks and asset managers valuing token lifecycle management and primary distribution capabilities.

Fintechs are furthest along, with roughly one third already using or accepting stablecoin payments and nearly half building in house solutions, while most large corporates prefer to partner with external providers that offer a full digital asset stack.

3. Implications And What To Watch Next

Institutional priorities in the survey center on trust and risk control. About 97% of respondents rank security certifications such as ISO and SOC II as critical, and many want integrated partners that bundle custody, compliance and operations support.

If this demand translates into action, it could reinforce growth in stablecoin volumes and tokenized asset platforms, and benefit chains and providers that can offer regulated, institution friendly infrastructure.

Key variables to watch are how fast regulatory clarity advances in major markets and which providers win as primary one stop infrastructure partners for banks, asset managers and corporates.

Conclusion

The 72% figure comes from a Ripple led survey, but it aligns with a broader shift in finance toward treating digital assets as a strategic necessity rather than a side bet. For crypto users, the signal is that institutional focus is coalescing around stablecoins, custody and tokenization, which could steadily deepen on chain liquidity even if headline grabbing speculative flows remain cyclical.