Ripple president Monica Long says blockchain is rapidly becoming the core infrastructure of global finance, predicting that half of Fortune 500 companies will actively use digital assets or blockchain-based financial instruments by the end of 2026.In a blog post published Monday, Long said the crypto industry has spent recent years building the technical and regulatory foundation needed to support large-scale institutional adoption — a process she believes is now reaching an inflection point.“By the end of 2026, balance sheets will hold over $1 trillion in digital assets,” Long wrote, adding that roughly 250 Fortune 500 companies are expected to formalize digital asset strategies.Blockchain becoming the operating layer of financeAccording to Long, corporate adoption will extend far beyond passive crypto exposure.She expects companies to actively engage in:Tokenized real-world assetsDigital asset treasuriesStablecoin settlement systemsOnchain Treasury billsProgrammable financial instruments“Blockchain is becoming the operating layer of modern finance,” she said.Long cited a Coinbase survey from mid-2025 showing that six out of ten Fortune 500 executives said their companies were already exploring blockchain initiatives — a figure she expects to accelerate sharply in 2026.Corporate Bitcoin treasuries continue to expandWhile only a limited number of Fortune 500 firms currently hold Bitcoin, Long pointed to growing momentum among public companies.GameStop became one of the latest entrants after purchasing 4,710 BTC in May 2025, joining firms such as Tesla and Block Inc.She also highlighted the rapid rise of digital asset treasury (DAT) companies, noting that:The number has grown from just four in 2020 to more than 200 todayNearly 100 DAT firms were launched in 2025 aloneThe expansion reflects a broader shift toward crypto-native balance sheet management among both traditional and emerging companies.Stablecoins to become backbone of global settlementLong made one of her strongest forecasts around stablecoins, predicting they will soon become foundational to global payments rather than alternative rails.“Within the next five years, stablecoins will be fully integrated into global payment systems,” she said, citing regulatory progress and adoption efforts by major payment networks including Visa and Mastercard.She added that stablecoins are increasingly viewed as efficient tools for cross-border settlement, liquidity management and real-time financial operations.Custody and AI convergence to drive next phaseLooking ahead, Long expects banks, financial institutions and crypto-native firms to increasingly custody digital assets directly as part of broader blockchain strategies.She also highlighted the convergence of artificial intelligence and blockchain as a key catalyst for the next growth phase.According to Long, smart contracts and stablecoins could enable treasuries to:Manage liquidity automaticallyExecute margin calls in real timeOptimize yield via onchain repo marketsPrivacy technology will be critical, she added, with zero-knowledge proofs allowing AI systems to assess credit risk and compliance without exposing sensitive data — a development she says could unlock adoption across heavily regulated markets.
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