Ripple President: "Accelerating institutional access to crypto…institutionalization to gain full momentum this year"

Ripple, issuer of XRP, said it expects the institutionalization of cryptocurrencies to accelerate in earnest this year.

Monica Long, president of Ripple, said on X (formerly Twitter) on the 20th (local time) that "2025 was the most exciting year in the history of crypto—and for Ripple as well," adding that "2026 will be the year crypto institutionalization takes off in earnest." Long said, "Stablecoins, in particular, will become the foundational infrastructure for global payments—not an alternative payments network," adding that "companies will use digital dollars to secure real-time liquidity and dramatically improve capital efficiency."

She also noted that institutional investor access is expanding significantly. Long said, "Crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are accelerating the increase in institutional exposure," but analyzed that "their share of the overall market is still not large, leaving substantial room for growth." Long added that "as (crypto) adoption broadens, 'collateral mobility' will emerge as a key use case," and that "5~10% of capital markets settlement is expected to move on-chain."

She also highlighted trends in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the crypto industry. Long said, "Crypto M&A led by institutions last year totaled $8.6 billion, reflecting the market's maturation," noting that "custody, in particular, is emerging as a key driver of major consolidation to come." She continued, "As custody services become increasingly commoditized, vertical integration and multi-custody strategies will spread," adding that "this year, half of the world's top 50 banks are expected to formalize new custody strategies."