The crypto sector is on the eve of an institutional revolution. This is stated by Ripple director Reece Merrick, who expects that almost all major banks and asset managers will be active in crypto by the end of 2026. “It’s not a matter of if. It’s how fast,” he says.
‘Every major player will soon be in crypto’
According to Merrick, crypto will become inevitable for traditional financial institutions in the coming years. “By the end of 2026, every major bank, asset manager and payment service provider will have substantial exposure to digital assets,” he predicts. He no longer calls crypto an optional asset class, but a strategic necessity.
Institutions that ignore crypto risk being left behind. According to Merrick, if a customer at JP Morgan or Chase cannot store Bitcoin or stablecoins, he will turn to fintech companies such as Coinbase or Revolut, which make this possible.
Breakthrough through regulation and stablecoins
Banks steered clear of stablecoins for a long time, mainly due to legal uncertainty. That changed with the introduction of the GENIUS Act, which officially recognized compliant stablecoins such as Ripple’s RLUSD as permitted payment infrastructure.
This clarity led to a change. Major banks like JPMorgan and Standard Chartered have started integrating stablecoin networks into their systems. Asset managers, meanwhile, use tokenized government bonds such as BlackRock’s BUIDL as collateral for 24-hour trading.
Ripple’s transformation in 2025
Merrick’s predictions follow a successful year for Ripple. In 2025, the long-running legal conflict with the SEC was finally concluded. That marked a turning point for the company, which repositioned itself as a full-stack infrastructure partner for institutions.
Ripple used the regained clarity to invest heavily in strategic acquisitions, such as Hidden Road and GTreasury. Its proprietary stablecoin RLUSD grew to become a core part of the payments network, with a market capitalization of over $1 billion.
XRP Ledger en tokenized T-Bills
The XRP Ledger also plays an important role in Ripple’s institutional plans. Through platforms such as OpenEden, hedge funds can now create tokenized T-Bills directly on the network. These digital government bonds provide returns of up to five percent, making them an attractive alternative to cash.
The combination of clear regulations, technical infrastructure and strategic collaboration appears to position Ripple and the broader crypto industry for a new wave of institutional adoption.
Source: https://newsbit.nl/ripple-directeur-doet-gewaagde-voorspelling-voor-2026/
