4 trends that will shape the cryptocurrency market in 2026, according to Ripple

Source: PortaldoBitcoin Original Title: 4 Trends That Will Shape the Cryptocurrency Market in 2026, According to Ripple Original Link: https://portaldobitcoin.uol.com.br/4-tendencias-que-devem-ditar-o-mercado-de-criptomoedas-em-2026-segundo-a-ripple/ Ripple CEO Monica Long released an article outlining the main topics for the cryptocurrency sector in 2026. The executive points out that stablecoins, onchain assets, crypto custody, and automation through artificial intelligence (AI) will dominate Web3 market developments.

“Stablecoins will support global settlement. Tokenized assets will become part of institutional balance sheets. Custody will be the pillar of trust. And blockchain — increasingly combined with artificial intelligence — will automate operations that still limit markets today,” she states.

According to Long, the sector has matured, and now the momentum comes from financial leaders focused on building for the long term. For her, 2026 should be remembered as the year when crypto assets became a fundamental part of the global financial infrastructure.

Stablecoins: the standard for global settlement

“In the next five years, stablecoins are expected to become fully integrated into global payment systems — not as an alternative infrastructure, but as the fundamental backbone,” Long affirms. She emphasizes that this change is already happening in practice, with giants like Visa and Stripe directly incorporating these pathways into traditional flows.

Ripple’s CEO confirms that in the United States, the approval of the Genius Act officially ushered in the era of the digital dollar. As a result, highly regulation-compliant stablecoins issued in the US — including Ripple USD (RLUSD) — are expected to become the gold standard for programmable global payments, 24/7, as well as serving as a critical collateral source in modern financial markets.

Additionally, Long notes that with the recent conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for the creation of Ripple National Trust Bank, the sector is not just following rules but setting a precedent for institutional compliance.

“By 2027, it’s reasonable to expect that financial institutions will explore the potential of regulated stablecoins for full-time collateral mobility in capital markets use cases. While retail applications exist, the true growth driver is B2B,” she states.

Studies show that last year, B2B payments became the largest real use case for stablecoins, reaching an annualized volume of US$76 billion. This is a significant jump from early 2023, when monthly B2B transfers with stablecoins did not exceed US$100 million.

“The opportunity goes far beyond faster settlement. Companies hold unprecedented volumes of immobilized working capital — over US$700 billion just on S&P 1500 company balance sheets, plus over €1.3 trillion in Europe. Stablecoins pave the way for real-time liquidity, reduced loading costs, and significant cash flow efficiency gains. This set of factors explains why companies are expected to lead the next wave of crypto adoption.”

Onchain assets enter the institutional radar

For Monica Long, institutional exposure to crypto assets is shifting from marginal to a core part of corporate finance. According to her, crypto assets have evolved from predominantly speculative instruments to an operational layer of modern financial markets.

The expectation, Ripple’s CEO says, is that by the end of 2026, corporate balance sheets will hold more than US$1 trillion in digital assets. Additionally, about half of Fortune 500 companies are expected to have formalized strategies related to digital assets, which go beyond simple cryptocurrency exposure and include tokenized assets, digital treasuries, stablecoins, onchain Treasury bonds, and programmable financial instruments.

“It’s not just about holding crypto on the balance sheet but actively participating in a new digital asset-based financial ecosystem,” Long points out.

Data already indicates this trend. A 2025 survey showed that 60% of Fortune 500 companies are actively working on blockchain initiatives. Currently, over 200 publicly traded companies hold Bitcoin as part of their treasury strategies.

Growth is also visible among digital asset management firms. The number of these companies jumped from just four in 2020 to over 200 today, with nearly 100 created just in 2025.

Meanwhile, the crypto ETF market continues to expand. More than 40 products were launched in 2025, although they still represent only about 1% to 2% of the total ETF market in the US. Long sees this discrepancy as evidence of significant room for institutional participation growth.

As crypto exposure normalizes, capital markets are expected to follow suit. The executive highlights that collateral mobility is likely to become one of the main institutional use cases in 2026, with custodian banks and clearinghouses adopting tokenization to modernize settlement processes.

It is expected that between 5% and 10% of capital market settlement will migrate onchain, driven by regulatory advances and the adoption of stablecoins by systemically important institutions.

Crypto custody consolidates

Another pillar highlighted by Long is the consolidation of the digital asset custody market. She sees the increase in mergers and acquisitions activity in the crypto sector as a clear sign of maturity, not just rapid growth.

In 2025, M&A volume in the sector reached US$8.6 billion, mainly driven by the entry of institutional investors. In this context, digital asset custody is expected to lead the next phase of consolidation as banks, financial service providers, and native crypto companies see custody as a central element of their blockchain strategies.

Long states that custody is likely to become increasingly commoditized, pressuring independent providers to diversify their offerings or integrate with larger platforms. This movement should promote greater vertical integration in the sector.

At the same time, regulatory requirements are prompting banks to adopt multi-custodian strategies as risk mitigation. As a result, she projects that more than half of the top 50 banks worldwide will formalize at least one new custody relationship in 2026.

However, consolidation is not limited to native crypto companies. Long notes that the past year has seen closer ties between the digital assets sector, traditional finance, and fintechs. She cites strategic acquisitions in the sector as examples.

For her, attracting the next billion users — especially institutional ones — necessarily involves making crypto use “radically simpler, safer, and deeply integrated into existing financial flows.”

Blockchain and AI advance together

The fourth key area highlighted by Monica Long is the convergence of blockchain and artificial intelligence. She states that the most profound transformations in the financial system rarely occur in isolation, and 2026 should mark significant progress in integrating these two technologies.

According to Ripple’s CEO, stablecoins and smart contracts will enable corporate treasuries to manage liquidity, execute margin calls, and optimize repurchase returns in fully automated, real-time onchain operations without manual intervention.

In asset management, Long says that AI models combined with blockchain infrastructure will allow dynamic rebalancing of tokenized asset exposures and yield protocols in stablecoins, leveraging the continuous operation feature of onchain markets.

She also emphasizes the role of privacy in this process. Technologies like zero-knowledge proofs are expected to enable AI-based systems to assess credit risk and risk profiles without exposing sensitive data, reducing friction in credit operations and expanding digital asset adoption in regulated environments.

For Long, the intersection of blockchain and AI should generate significant efficiency gains and equip financial teams with tools capable of operating “at internet speed.”