From Pilots to Scale: Ripple President Outlines Institutional Crypto in 2026

CoinEdition2026/01/21 08:12

By:CoinEdition

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Ripple President Monica Long says 2026 will be the year crypto moves from testing to full production inside global finance. She claims that the infrastructure is ready, rules are clearer, and institutions now have reasons to scale.

On the other hand, XRP fell more than 3% on Wednesday, trading near $1.90. Price moved lower, but the long-term message was direct and institutional.

After one of crypto’s most exciting years (and Ripple’s), the industry is entering its production era. In 2026 we’ll see the institutionalization of crypto — trusted infrastructure and real utility will push banks, corporates, and providers from pilots to scale — across…
— Monica Long (@MonicaLongSF) January 20, 2026

Long claims stablecoins are no longer an add-on. By 2026, they will become the base layer for global settlement. Payment giants already plug digital dollars directly into existing systems. This pushes stablecoins into daily financial flows, not side experiments.

The growth driver is business-to-business payments. B2B stablecoin transfers reached a $76 billion annualized run rate last year. In early 2023, that number was under $100 million per month.

Also, corporations hold massive idle cash. Over $700 billion sits unused on S&P 1500 balance sheets, with more than €1.3 trillion across Europe.

Stablecoins cut settlement time to minutes, reduce holding costs, and free working capital. That is why companies, not retail users, lead adoption.

Long expects crypto exposure to become standard for large firms. By the end of 2026, around 50% of Fortune 500 companies are projected to hold digital assets or run formal digital asset treasury strategies.

This is not passive exposure. Firms actively use tokenized assets, stablecoins, on-chain Treasury bills, and programmable contracts. Balance sheets across the system are expected to hold more than $1 trillion in digital assets.

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Data already shows that more than 200 public companies now hold BTC. Digital asset treasury firms grew from four in 2020 to over 200 today, with nearly half formed in 2025 alone.

Crypto ETFs also play a role. Over 40 launched in 2025, yet they account for only 1-2% of the US ETF market. The gap shows how early institutional positioning still is.

Long expects 5-10% of capital markets settlement to move on-chain in 2026. Tokenized assets and stablecoins allow collateral to move instantly instead of waiting days. She also estimated that more than half of the world’s top 50 banks will lock in new custody relationships in 2026.

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

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