- Regulatory clarity facilitates increased adoption and scalability of digital assets.
- Asset tokenization is accelerating, impacting capital markets, liquidity and access to investment products.
- Blockchain is increasingly becoming an infrastructure as adoption moves from experimentation to enterprise-level deployment.
The year 2026 is shaping up to be a defining moment for digital assets. Digital assets include digital payments (crypto, stablecoins, CBDC, deposit tokens) and tokenized assets, all of which are based on blockchain technology. The convergence of clearer regulatory frameworks, increased enterprise-level deployment, and improved interoperability are moving blockchain from experimental applications to the foundations of a new digital financial market infrastructure.
The trends below illustrate the changing landscape and what world leaders should prepare for.
Increased regulatory clarity
One of the key accelerators of adoption of any emerging technology is clearer regulation. In 2025, several advances have been made in the regulation of digital assets globally. Singapore and the United Arab Emirates were among the first to regulate digital assets. Over the past year, we have seen several new regulations, notably related to stablecoins in Hong Kong, Europe and the United States. The Genius Act was a trigger that prompted more jurisdictions around the world to accelerate regulation in this area.
Over the next year, several jurisdictions are expected to roll out more regulatory guidance for digital assets. In the United States, a clarity bill is proposed, focusing on the structure of the digital asset market. Greater policy certainty enables responsible innovation and gives businesses the confidence to evolve.
The growth of stablecoins
Stablecoins are becoming a key bridge between fiat and decentralized systems. As such, the trading volume for stablecoins has increased. In 2024, the total value of stablecoin transactions has increased significantly; but about 92% ($24 trillion) was related to cryptocurrency trading and going up/down. Although most transactions remain for cryptocurrency trading, other use cases may develop over the next year.
Although the use of stablecoins is increasing, many institutions continue to explore other digital payment options such as central bank digital currencies and deposit tokens. Each of these digital currency options has tradeoffs, and exploration and experimentation will continue, likely resulting in different digital payments being used in parallel for different use cases.
The rise of asset tokenization
One of the main trends heading into 2026 is the growth of tokenization. Experimentation with tokenization has been underway for over a decade, but there is growing momentum in this area, particularly from traditional financial institutions. Larry Fink and Rob Goldstein of Blackrock shared their view that “tokenization can significantly expand the world of investable assets beyond the listed stocks and bonds that dominate markets today.”
Blockchain enables fractionalized, programmable and tradable digital representations of assets, providing liquidity, transparency and efficiency. Entire asset classes, from funds to bonds to real estate to carbon credits, are poised for on-chain evolution, reshaping capital markets and expanding access to investment opportunities.
TradFi converges with DeFi
As the blockchain space evolves, a growing number of Web3-native companies and many traditional financial institutions are actively experimenting with digital assets. In 2026, we will see increased convergence between the “TradFi” and “DeFi” worlds.
Many traditional financial institutions are integrating digital assets into their operations. For example, JP Morgan just issued its USD deposit token, JPM coin, on a public blockchain. Additionally, Citi has integrated Citi Token Services with 24/7 USD clearing for real-time cross-border payments and liquidity management.
Financial services companies across the value chain – including asset managers, financial market infrastructures, payment providers, fintechs and investors – are integrating blockchain-based solutions. Financial market stakeholders are increasingly adopting distributed ledger technology to reduce friction, improve transparency and reduce transaction costs.
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Why 2026 is important
With increasing regulatory certainty in 2025, this year will be crucial for scaling digital asset solutions responsibly. The next year will be an important time to lay the foundations for leveraging blockchain solutions:
- Entire asset classes could become tradable on-chain, reshaping capital flows, investment liquidity and global finance.
- Companies and institutions could integrate blockchain into their core operations and balance sheet infrastructure.
- Global frameworks are solidifying, setting the rules for cross-border digital finance.
To ensure responsible adoption of digital assets, there are a few priorities to keep in mind:
- Interoperability: Multi-chain ecosystems and cross-chain bridges will allow different blockchains (public, private, permissioned) to work together, enabling truly global distributed systems.
- Global coordination: Digital assets are a new innovation and this offers the possibility of global coordination when creating the systems and regulations that govern them.
- Public-private cooperation: The public and private sectors can collaborate when adopting digital asset solutions.
What businesses, policymakers and leaders should do:
- Business leaders – Evaluate how blockchain could fit into your asset base, operations and capital structure.
- Investors and Asset Managers – Explore tokenized assets and how this could change or improve the investment process or create new investable assets.
- Policymakers and regulators – Aim to provide regulatory clarity to encourage transparency, best practices and frameworks that support interoperable, cross-border digital finance.
- Technologists – Design for interoperability, privacy and resilience. Contribute to standards and governance models that provide clarity and confidence to stakeholders.
As blockchain and digital assets continue to grow in 2026, these trends lay the foundation for a more efficient, inclusive and transparent global economy.
