The Essentiality of Digital Assets, According to Global Financial Leaders The evolution of digital finance has become a pivotal factor reshaping today's financial industry. According to global financial leaders, digital assets warrant close attention as they have evolved from mere speculative interests into essential operational tools with practical utility. A recent survey conducted by Ripple in early 2026, involving over 1,000 financial executives worldwide, clearly illustrates this transformation. The survey targeted institutions across various regions, including banks, asset managers, fintech firms, and corporate treasury departments, focusing not just on the adoption of digital assets but on secure and scalable implementation methods. The survey results revealed that 72% of respondents warned of the risk of falling behind competitors if they fail to prepare for digital asset solutions. This suggests that digital assets are no longer an option but a necessity. A notable finding from this survey is that 'methodology' and 'stability' have emerged as crucial factors in the adoption of digital assets. In particular, the practical value of stablecoins garnered strong consensus among respondents. According to the survey, 74% of financial executives stated that stablecoins can improve cash flow efficiency, resolve issues with slow traditional payment systems, and secure working capital. As their name suggests, stablecoins offer the significant advantage of low price volatility and stable value, increasingly being recognized by financial institutions as practical assets rather than speculative ones. This shift indicates that stablecoins are transitioning from speculative interest to practical utility even within conservative treasury management functions, holding significant implications for regulators and institutional risk management committees. Stablecoins are emerging as an alternative capable of overcoming the limitations of existing systems in various areas, including cross-border remittances, B2B payments, and supply chain finance. While traditional bank transfers often take several days and incur high fees, stablecoin-based payments are processed in real-time with significantly lower costs. Another important finding was that fintech companies are leading traditional financial institutions in digital asset adoption. Across all adoption metrics, fintech firms are ahead of traditional financial institutions and corporations. Among the fintech companies surveyed, 31% are already collecting payments in stablecoins on behalf of their clients, and 29% are directly receiving stablecoin payments. Even more remarkably, nearly half of fintech companies are building their own in-house digital asset solutions. This data demonstrates that fintech firms are adapting more quickly to new technology adoption and are leading innovation related to digital assets. The agility and tech-friendly culture of fintech companies enable them to solve problems in a matter of months that traditional financial institutions have grappled with for years. They possess the advantage of designing infrastructure with digital assets in mind from the outset, unconstrained by legacy systems. Stablecoins at the Heart of Practical Innovation In contrast, traditional financial institutions and large corporations are adopting a cautious approach. Among the large enterprises surveyed, 74% prefer a strategy of collaborating with external partners to build digital asset solutions rather than developing them in-house, and 71% expressed a desire to work with a single vendor capable of handling the entire digital asset infrastructure stack. This indicates a tendency for companies to prioritize risk management and regulatory compliance, even as they recognize the importance of digital assets. For institutions evaluating the tokenization of financial assets, custody was identified as the most crucial partner capability. A significant 89% of respondents recognized custody as the most important partner capability in digital asset tokenization or stablecoin management. Custody refers to the secure storage and management of digital assets, a critical function that protects assets from hacking or loss. These results underscore that the market is focusing not merely on 'whether' to adopt digital assets, but 'how,' emphasizing the growing importance of security, regulatory compliance, and proven solution delivery capabilities. These changes in the global financial sector offer significant implications for the South Korean financial industry. The urgency for the South Korean financial sector to adopt digital assets stems from the need to secure international competitiveness and seize new investment opportunities. The concern expressed by 72% of global financial leaders—that failure to adopt digital assets could lead to falling behind competitors—is a warning that should not be taken lightly. In particular, the potential utility and value-creation capabilities of
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