Corporate Finance Embraces Stablecoins as 74% Target Efficiency

70% of Finance Leaders View Digital Assets as a Competitive Necessity

A new survey from Ripple covering more than 1,000 global finance leaders shows digital assets have become a strategic imperative. Seven in ten respondents stated that firms must offer digital asset solutions to remain competitive, marking a significant change from viewing them as an optional experiment. The findings underscore a broad industry consensus that the adoption of digital assets is accelerating.

The most compelling use case identified is stablecoins. The survey revealed that 74% of leaders believe stablecoins can directly improve cash-flow efficiency and unlock working capital, establishing their role as a core treasury tool. Fintechs are at the forefront of this adoption, with 31% already using stablecoins to collect customer payments and 29% accepting them directly. Meanwhile, banks and asset managers are focusing on asset tokenization and secure custody, with 97% of all respondents flagging security certifications like ISO and SOC 2 as critical for partnership.

Mastercard Validates Trend with $1.8B Stablecoin Infrastructure Deal

Underscoring the survey's findings, Mastercard announced its acquisition of UK-based stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK for $1.8 billion. The deal directly integrates BVNK's technology, which facilitates business payments across crypto and fiat currencies, into Mastercard's global network that processes approximately $9.5 trillion in annual payments. This move positions Mastercard to offer end-to-end digital asset services, from remittances to large-scale B2B transactions.

The acquisition price reflects the sector's rapid growth, as BVNK's valuation more than doubled from its $750 million Series B round in 2024. The deal occurs as stablecoin payment volumes reached $350 billion in 2025, demonstrating that major financial incumbents are investing heavily to incorporate blockchain-based payment rails rather than compete against them. The integration aims to enhance transaction speed and flexibility by making tokenized money a component of mainstream financial services.

Ripple's Own $1.56B Stablecoin Challenges XRP's Role

While Ripple's survey highlights the industry's bullish outlook on stablecoins, the company's own product strategy reveals a potential internal conflict. The firm's stablecoin, RLUSD, has expanded to a $1.56 billion market capitalization since its launch in December 2024, but its success directly challenges the utility of Ripple's native cryptocurrency, XRP. The core value proposition for XRP was its function as a volatile "bridge asset" for cross-border liquidity.

Financial institutions, however, overwhelmingly prefer the stability of a dollar-pegged asset like RLUSD for payment settlement. This preference has caused Ripple to pivot its strategy, now prominently marketing its stablecoin infrastructure over XRP-based liquidity solutions. The growing adoption of RLUSD by institutions using Ripple's payment products reduces the demand and fundamental use case for XRP, illustrating a broader market trend where stable, dollar-backed digital assets are winning the institutional adoption race.