Three-Quarters of Financial Executives Consider Digital Assets Critical for Competition, Ripple Study Reveals
New research by Ripple surveying 1,000 financial executives reveals 72% view digital assets as crucial for competitiveness, with stablecoins, tokenization and secure custody driving market adoption.
According to research published by Ripple on Thursday, 72% of over 1,000 financial executives worldwide believe that businesses must provide digital asset solutions in order to remain competitive in the current marketplace.
According to the survey results, stablecoins emerged as the leading use case, with 74% of participants indicating they have the potential to enhance cash flow and release capital that would otherwise remain trapped.
The research surveyed approximately 1,000 financial institutions across the globe, encompassing banks, asset management firms, fintech companies and corporations, examining their approaches to adoption, stablecoins, tokenization and custody-related priorities.
The data indicates that numerous financial institutions are now concentrating less on the question of whether they should engage with digital assets and more on determining how to acquire, develop or collaborate for the necessary infrastructure to facilitate them.
According to Ripple, the momentum toward digital assets is being fueled by changing regulatory frameworks, increasing interest from major banking institutions, expanded adoption of fintech platforms and the emergence of stablecoins.
Stablecoins emerge as leading digital asset application in survey
Survey participants demonstrated the most significant interest in stablecoins. "That unanimity makes it clear that finance leaders are thinking about stablecoins as more than just a new way to execute payments," Ripple said, noting that financial institutions are progressively viewing them as instruments for treasury management purposes.
The research indicates that fintech companies are at the forefront of adoption efforts. Approximately 47% of fintech survey participants reported they intend to develop their own digital asset solutions, in comparison to 14% of corporate entities. Conversely, 74% of corporate respondents indicated they plan to collaborate with third-party service providers.
Banking institutions and asset management firms emphasize digital asset custody solutions
The research revealed increasing interest in tokenization initiatives, with banking institutions and asset management companies placing priority on digital asset custody, which refers to secure storage capabilities. Approximately 89% of those assessing tokenization partnership opportunities identified secure storage as a primary consideration, while token lifecycle management and primary distribution were ranked at 82% and 80%, respectively.
Banking institution respondents also demonstrated substantial demand for advisory assistance, with 85% identifying pre-issuance structuring as critical, compared to 76% of asset management firms.
"This indicates that many institutions are seeking experienced partners to guide implementation alongside technology deployment," Ripple said.
When evaluating infrastructure partnership opportunities, 97% of survey participants emphasized the significance of security certifications including ISO and SOC II.
The research emphasizes that digital assets have transitioned beyond being optional. "Most finance leaders aren't debating digital assets anymore," Ripple said in a post on X, adding: "They're figuring out how to build with them and who to build with."