PwC says institutional crypto use is now embedded and hard to reverse as stablecoins scale

PwC's Global Crypto Regulation Report 2026 argues that institutional use of digital assets has moved beyond trading into payments, settlement, treasury and balance-sheet functions, reaching a stage that is difficult to unwind. The firm highlights growing deployment of stablecoins, tokenized cash and onchain settlement tools across banks, asset managers and payment companies, a trend echoed by Circle and ARK Invest's research on the expanding role of public blockchains.