Digital assets are no longer a fringe experiment in finance; They are quickly becoming a central part of how banks, asset managers, fintechs and corporations plan to move money, store value and manage risk.
That’s the key takeaway from fintech firm Ripple’s survey of more than 1,000 global financial leaders, which reveals how the industry views digital assets as urgent and no longer optional.
Seven in 10 respondents said financial leaders must offer some type of digital asset solution to remain competitive, underscoring a broad sense that the “digital asset revolution” is already underway.
Stablecoins, those digital tokens with values pegged to fiat currencies such as the US dollar, emerged as the most compelling use case: 74% of leaders said stablecoins can improve cash flow efficiency and unlock working capital, highlighting their growing appeal as treasury tools and not just payment avenues.
Fintechs are leading the adoption of digital assets, and many of them already use digital assets in treasury and payments than banks or companies. About 31% use stablecoins to collect payments from customers and 29% accept stablecoins directly. Many also rely on digital asset custodians and infrastructure providers for safekeeping, while 47% of fintechs want to create their own solutions.
More and more banks and asset managers want to tokenize assets and need partners to do so. Of those searching, 89% focus first on secure storage and custody. Meanwhile, banks care a lot about token management (82%), and asset managers focus more on distribution (80%).
Almost all respondents (97%) noted that security and certifications such as ISO and SOC 2 were critical, with operational support and industry-specific expertise also weighing heavily.
The bottom line: Digital assets are becoming a strategic necessity and infrastructure decisions made today are expected to shape the competitive advantage of tomorrow.
