Quick Breakdown
- Ripple President Monica Long predicts that 50% of Fortune 500 companies will hold crypto or use blockchain by the end of 2026, driving over $1 trillion in digital assets onto balance sheets.
- Public firms holding Bitcoin have surged from four in 2020 to over 200 today, including GameStop, Block, and Tesla, signalling broader treasury strategies.
- Stablecoins and tokenized assets will fuel adoption, integrating into global payments as blockchain becomes finance’s core layer.
Ripple President Monica Long has forecasted that roughly half of Fortune 500 companies, about 250 firms, will establish formalized crypto exposure by the end of 2026. This projection, shared in a blog post, highlights blockchain’s shift to the “operating layer of modern finance,” with balance sheets projected to hold over $1 trillion in digital assets including tokenized assets, stablecoins, and on-chain treasuries. Long’s outlook builds on a Coinbase survey from mid-2025 showing 60% of Fortune 500 executives pursuing blockchain initiatives, amid regulatory clarity under President Trump’s administration since January 2025.
After one of crypto’s most exciting years (and Ripple’s), the industry is entering its production era. In 2026 we’ll see the institutionalization of crypto — trusted infrastructure and real utility will push banks, corporates, and providers from pilots to scale — across…
— Monica Long (@MonicaLongSF) January 20, 2026
Current treasury trends accelerate adoption
Corporate Bitcoin treasuries have exploded, growing from four public companies in 2020 to over 200 by late 2025, controlling about 5% of the circulating supply. Examples include GameStop’s May 2025 purchase of 4,710 BTC, alongside holdings by Block Inc. and Tesla, with digital asset treasury firms nearly tripling in 2025 alone. This momentum aligns with Dragonfly Capital’s parallel prediction of Big Tech wallet launches and Fortune 100 private blockchains on platforms like Avalanche, further blurring lines between enterprises and public chains.
Stablecoins, custody set stage for mainstream shift
Long emphasized stablecoins’ role in global settlements, predicting full integration into payment systems within five years, backed by Visa and Mastercard moves. Financial institutions will ramp up direct crypto custody to speed blockchain strategies, while AI-blockchain fusion enables real-time treasury tools like on-chain repos via zero-knowledge proofs. Over 170-190 public firms now hold BTC, per recent tallies, underscoring the path to Long’s 50% threshold.
To achieve genuine financial independence, Vitalik Buterin emphasizes that Ethereum needs robust decentralized stablecoins. This necessitates overcoming three main challenges: reducing dependence on the US dollar, creating stronger decentralized oracles, and reforming staking models to prevent destabilization from high yields. Solving these issues is crucial for decentralized stablecoins to fulfil their vital function.
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