APPLIED AI
Digital Assets in 2026: The Infrastructure Transition Banks Cannot Delay
Digital assets are no longer an innovation bet. They are a settlement, custody, and balance-sheet architecture question. Crypto is a ~$3 trillion asset class, stablecoins have reached ~$300 billion, and tokenised real-world assets grew ~300% in 2025. The strategic task for banks in 2026 is not whether to engage but how to design infrastructure, controls, and governance for a world where money, assets, and settlement become programmable.
