No longer a fringe experiment in finance, digital assets are fast becoming a core part of how banks, asset managers, fintechs and enterprises plan to move money, store value and manage risk.
That’s the key to fintech firm Ripple’s survey of more than 1,000 global finance executives, which reveals how the industry sees digital assets as urgent and no longer optional.
Seven in 10 respondents said CFOs must offer some form 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 tied to fiat currencies such as the US dollar, emerged as the most compelling use case: 74% of executives said stablecoins can improve cash flow efficiency and unlock working capital, highlighting their growing appeal as treasury tools and not just payment rails.
Fintechs are leading the way in adopting digital assets, with more of them already using digital assets in treasury and payments than banks or businesses. About 31% use stablecoins to collect payments to customers and 29% accept stablecoins directly. Many also rely on digital assets and infrastructure providers for storage, while 47% of fintechs want to build their own solutions.
More banks and asset managers want to tokenize assets, and they need partners to do so. Of those looking, 89% focus on safe storage and storage first. Meanwhile, banks care a lot about token management (82%), with asset managers focusing more on distribution (80%).
Almost all respondents – 97% – cited security and certifications such as ISO and SOC 2 as critical, with operations support and industry-specific experience also weighing heavily.
The bottom line: digital assets are becoming a strategic imperative, and infrastructure decisions made today are expected to shape competitive advantage tomorrow.
