Ripple President Shares Four Top Predictions for 2026

Ripple President Monica Long has shared her 2026 predictions for how the crypto industry will develop, expecting larger institutional involvement.

Long shared her predictions in an official blog report, which centered on institutional adoption and clearer regulation. The Ripple President argues that the industry could see an observable growth in stablecoins, institutional balance sheet exposure, custody services, and AI use in crypto.

Key Points

• Monica Long expects B2B stablecoin payments, which reached an annualized $76 billion in 2025, to become central to global payments.
• According to her, financial institutions will tap regulated stablecoins for 24/7 collateral mobility in capital markets.
• She also believes institutional balance sheets will hold over $1 trillion in digital assets.
• Long suggests that around 50% of Fortune 500 companies will adopt formal digital asset strategies.
• The Ripple President also expects the link between crypto and AI to grow stronger in 2026.

Stablecoins to Integrate Into Global Payments

In her recent predictions, Long noted that she expects stablecoins to become a standard part of global payment systems. Major payment networks and financial platforms like Visa and Stripe already integrate stablecoins into existing processes, and she believes this trend will continue.

Notably, in the U.S., the recent Genius Act legislation has bolstered trust in regulated, dollar-backed stablecoins and given institutions clearer rules to follow.

As a result, regulated stablecoins are set to support programmable payments and nonstop settlement. Long believes that by 2027, financial institutions will use stablecoins to move collateral at any time, especially in capital markets.

Interestingly, data already confirms the gradual growth in stablecoin usage. Notably, last year, B2B stablecoin payments reached an annualized $76 billion, up sharply from early 2023, when monthly volumes stayed below $100 million. It bears mentioning that Ripple entered the stablecoin market with the launch of its RLUSD product in December 2024.

Institutional Crypto Adoption to Expand

For her second prediction, Long sees crypto growing into a major financial tool. By the end of 2026, she expects institutions to hold more than $1 trillion in digital assets on their balance sheets. In addition, around half of Fortune 500 companies could adopt formal digital asset strategies that include stablecoins, tokenized assets, and onchain financial instruments.

This trend already shows up in recent figures. Specifically, a 2025 survey found that 60% of Fortune 500 companies actively work on blockchain initiatives. More than 200 publicly traded companies now hold bitcoin as part of their treasury strategies. Meanwhile, digital asset treasury firms have expanded from just four in 2020 to over 200 today, with nearly 100 launched in 2025 alone.

Moreover, crypto exchange-traded funds continue to bring institutions into the market. More than 40 crypto ETFs launched in 2025, yet they still account for only 1–2% of the U.S. ETF market

Long sees this gap as a sign of long-term growth potential. In 2026, she expects collateral mobility to become a key use case, with tokenization improving settlement speed and efficiency. As adoption grows, 5–10% of capital markets settlement could move onchain.

Custody to Become a Key Pillar of Trust

As custody solutions become more standardized, standalone providers face pressure to broaden their offerings or integrate with larger platforms. At the same time, regulators encourage banks to rely on multiple custodians to manage risk. Because of this, Long predicts that more than half of the world’s top 50 banks will form at least one new digital asset custody partnership in 2026.

Blockchain and AI Link to Expand

Finally, Long called attention to the growing link between blockchain and AI. She expects these technologies to work together to automate financial tasks that still depend on manual processes. Specifically, stablecoins and smart contracts could allow treasuries to manage liquidity, execute margin calls, and optimize returns in real time.

At the same time, she believes asset managers may likely use AI alongside blockchain systems to adjust exposure to tokenized assets and stablecoin-based products throughout the day.

XRP Community Reaction to Long’s Predictions

Notably, the XRP community has begun responding to Long’s 2026 predictions. For instance, WrathofKahneman (WOK), a notable community figure, commented on the outlook, noting that it sets stablecoins up as the main settlement asset

He also highlighted the predicted link between blockchain and AI, suggesting it could be important for financial agents. WOK also observed that the report did not mention XRP or the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and expressed interest in seeing whether the growth of digital asset custody will require broader public neutrality.