Quick Breakdown:
- Citi forecasts that by 2030, 10% of global post-trade turnover will use stablecoins and tokenized securities, led by U.S. adoption at 14%.
- Bank-issued stablecoins and blockchain are viewed as key to improving collateral efficiency, liquidity, and post-trade cost reduction.
- GenAI adoption is accelerating, with over half of institutions piloting AI for reconciliation, settlements, and especially client onboarding.
The global post-trade industry is on the brink of transformation, with Citi forecasting that one-tenth of market turnover will be conducted using stablecoins and tokenized securities by 2030. The projection comes from Citi’s Securities Services Evolution report, which surveyed 537 institutions across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.
The study highlighted bank-issued stablecoins as the preferred tool to enhance collateral efficiency, fund tokenization, and streamline private market securities. More than half of respondents also confirmed their organizations are piloting generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in post-trade operations.
Digital Assets Nearing Inflection Point
Citi noted that since 2021, adoption of digital assets has moved beyond experimentation into early strategic deployment. While the sector has yet to reach a tipping point, the bank said it is “tantalizingly close.”
Survey participants identified liquidity and post-trade cost efficiency as the primary drivers of digital ledger technology (DLT) investment. Over half of respondents believe blockchain will significantly impact global capital markets within three years, reducing funding costs, resource requirements, and operational overheads.
Expectations for digital asset growth were strongest in the U.S., where respondents projected 14% of market turnover would involve stablecoins or tokenized assets by 2030, compared with 10% in Europe and 9% in Asia Pacific. Citi attributed this surge in U.S. optimism to regulatory clarity provided by measures such as the GENIUS Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in July.
GenAI Pilots Gain Momentum in Post-Trade
Alongside blockchain, GenAI is increasingly seen as a transformative force in post-trade operations. According to Citi, 57% of institutions are already testing AI tools for reconciliation, clearing, settlements, and reporting.
The most immediate adoption, however, has been in client onboarding. Eighty-three percent of brokers, 63% of custodians, and 60% of asset managers reported piloting GenAI in onboarding processes to accelerate client integration. Citi said faster onboarding is emerging as a critical competitive advantage, bridging the gap between retail and institutional participants.
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