Fireblocks says reliable fiat access, stronger infrastructure support and workable rules could speed digital asset adoption.
Reliable on- and off-ramps for fiat and liquidity are seen as the biggest factor that could accelerate digital asset and digital money adoption over the next 12 to 24 months, according to a new Fireblocks report.
The study found that 60% of financial institutions cited reliable fiat access and liquidity as the top catalyst for expanding digital asset adoption. That was followed by institutional-grade infrastructure and operating support at 55%, while 46% pointed to clear and workable regulatory frameworks.
The findings suggest institutions are no longer asking whether to build in digital assets, but what is required to scale adoption in production. Only 11% are deferring digital asset infrastructure spending to 2027, indicating that most budget decisions have already been made.
Even so, production readiness remains limited. Just 16% of institutions are already in production at scale, pointing to a gap between strategic commitment and operational execution. That gap helps explain why infrastructure support ranks so highly. In-house expertise was identified as the biggest internal constraint on expanding blockchain-based products and services, cited by 42% of respondents.
Only 15% of institutions described their custody and wallet governance infrastructure as fully production-ready, while 60% ranked secure custody and wallet governance as the most critical factor when selecting a digital asset infrastructure provider.
Regulation is increasingly being viewed as an enabler rather than a blocker. Still, the stronger near-term signal is that broader adoption will depend on dependable market plumbing, including fiat connectivity, implementation support and infrastructure that can meet institutional standards for security, compliance and integration.
Taken together, the findings point to a market entering its next phase, where adoption may be shaped less by interest in digital assets alone and more by whether institutions can access the rails, liquidity and support needed to operate at scale.
Read the report here.
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