A recent prediction by Ripple’s president, Monica Long, suggests that by the end of 2026, half of all Fortune 500 companies will include digital assets on their corporate balance sheets. This forecast reflects a broader trend of increasing adoption of stablecoins and cryptocurrencies among global enterprises, financial institutions, and capital markets.
In a recent article on Ripple’s website, Long emphasized that stablecoins, particularly those like the US dollar-backed RLUSD, are becoming the “gold standard” for efficient and continuous global payments. She pointed to recent legislative changes, specifically the GENIUS Act, which have made the corporate environment in the United States more accommodating to cryptocurrency innovations. The introduction of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) further illustrates the integration of digital assets into mainstream financial practices.
Long’s outlook indicates that stablecoins will play a crucial role in global payment systems, serving as a foundational framework for comprehensive financial transactions. She noted that major companies such as Visa and Stripe are actively incorporating these digital frameworks into their established operations.
The anticipated shift towards corporate crypto holdings is significant. A survey from Coinbase projected that by 2025, 60% of Fortune 500 companies will be pursuing blockchain initiatives. Over 200 publicly traded companies have reportedly added bitcoin to their treasury assets—a drastic increase from just four in 2020. Long interprets these developments as strong affirmation of confidence in digital asset strategies, predicting that corporate balance sheets will collectively hold more than $1 trillion in digital assets by 2026.
Long highlighted that there is currently over $700 billion unutilized within S&P 1500 companies and over $1.3 trillion in European firms, suggesting that tokenized assets and stablecoins could efficiently deploy this capital into market liquidity, stimulating economic growth. She expects regulated stablecoins to play a pivotal role in capital market activities, particularly for facilitating real-time collateral transactions. Notably, B2B payments last year surged to an annualized rate of $76 billion, marking it as a leading practical application for stablecoins.
The landscape for crypto-related mergers and acquisitions is also evolving, with predicted activity reaching $8.6 billion in 2025. Ripple has been proactive in this space, acquiring firms such as the debt manager GTreasury and hedge fund Hidden Road, while also eyeing future acquisitions to further entrench cryptocurrency in traditional financial services. However, CEO Brad Garlinghouse clarified that the company is not seeking to go public in the near future.
Long also mentioned Ripple’s conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to charter Ripple National Trust Bank, which will provide custodial services under regulatory oversight. A regulatory initiative from the previous administration aims to encourage banks to adopt multi-custody practices for cryptocurrencies, which Long believes will lead more than half of the world’s top 50 banks to establish at least one new custodial relationship by 2026.
In recent news, Ripple announced a financing deal with LMAX Group to supply $150 million in multi-year funding, aiming to integrate RLUSD into LMAX’s global exchange as a settlement and collateral asset. The stablecoin will be accessible via LMAX Custody’s segregated wallets, enhancing the trading experience across several asset classes using stablecoin as collateral.
