Odaily Planet Daily report: Digital asset infrastructure company Fireblocks has released the 2026 Financial Grid survey, sampling over 600 senior executives. The survey found that 99% of financial institutions in continental Europe and 100% of UK respondents expect policy to support digital asset adoption.
The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) has provided a clear framework for local businesses, with 53% of institutions on the European continent committing to allocate funds before 2026, higher than the global average of 42%. The UK regulatory framework is still under development, with 36% of institutions having set budgets and another 59% planning to allocate funds by 2026.
European institutions identified reliable connectivity between digital assets and fiat currencies as the primary barrier, at 55%; production use cases and institutional-grade infrastructure accounted for 49% and 40%, respectively. Among UK institutions, 71% cited core system limitations as a barrier, and 60% named reputation and long-term financial stability as key factors in selecting a service provider.
Round-the-clock settlement and real-time payments are the top use cases, accounting for 86% in Europe and 82% in the UK. Sixty-two percent of institutions in Europe plan to use tokenized money market funds, compared to 45% in the UK; 50% of institutions in the UK plan to issue their own stablecoins, higher than 40% on the European continent.