Study of bank and financial-institution respondents examines blockchain programs, digital-asset use cases and adoption barriers
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 24, 2026 — Uphold, an infrastructure provider for on-chain finance, announced findings from a survey commissioned by the company and conducted by American Banker examining how banks, credit unions and neobanks are approaching blockchain and digital-asset services.
The survey found that 75% of respondents said their institutions have blockchain finance programs underway. Of those respondents, 22% reported that projects were live or scaling, while 53% said their institutions were piloting or evaluating specific use cases.
The research also examined spending and procurement activity. Two-thirds of respondents said their institutions had allocated funds for digital-asset infrastructure, while 54% said they had issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for digital-asset vendors or partners.
Among respondents, the most frequently identified blockchain-related use cases included digital-asset wallets and custody, digital-asset buy, sell and hold services for wealth management, wallet-led international expansion, stablecoin infrastructure for institutional settlement, and prime brokerage and institutional-grade clearing.
Survey Findings on Blockchain Adoption
The survey found that 72% of respondents said their institutions had appointed an executive responsible for digital-asset or blockchain strategy. In addition, 68% said their institutions had the necessary in-house regulatory and compliance capabilities.
When asked which blockchain services were most important to their institutions, respondents identified:
Digital wallets and/or custody solutions — 72%;
Digital-asset buy, sell and hold services for wealth management — 70%;
Digital wallet-led international expansion — 65%;
Stablecoin rails for institutional settlement — 64%; and
Prime brokerage and institutional-grade clearing — 64%.
The research also examined which customer segments institutions are considering for blockchain-related services. Among institutions with initiatives that were live, in pilot or under evaluation, 65% reported developing services for commercial customers, while 52% were developing services for retail customers and 47% for wealth-management customers.
Reported Barriers to Adoption
Respondents also identified challenges affecting digital-asset and blockchain strategies.
The three most frequently cited barriers were cybersecurity concerns, cited by 47% of respondents; risk-management and operational-risk concerns, also cited by 47%; and regulatory uncertainty and compliance requirements, cited by 46%.
The findings indicate that institutions evaluating blockchain services are considering both potential applications and the operational, security and regulatory requirements associated with implementation.
“Blockchain powers cheaper, faster and better financial services. The kind the next generation of bank customers expect as digital natives who’ve grown up with instant, borderless, always-on messaging services,” said Simon McLoughlin, CEO of Uphold.
McLoughlin said the survey indicates that financial institutions are allocating resources and developing capabilities related to blockchain-based infrastructure.
Research Methodology
American Banker conducted the research online from July 27 to August 14, 2026, among 114 qualified respondents.
Qualified respondents worked at a bank, credit union or neobank and were identified as a primary decision-maker, significant influencer or person directly involved in their institution’s digital-asset and blockchain strategy.
Respondents represented community, regional, super-regional and national/global banks, as well as credit unions. More than half of respondents, or 53%, reported that their institutions had more than $50 billion in assets under management.
The data collection was conducted on a blind basis, meaning Uphold was not identified to respondents as the sponsor of the research.
About Uphold
Uphold is a financial technology company providing infrastructure for on-chain payments, banking and investments. The company offers consumer, business and institutional services and operates in more than 140 countries.
Uphold integrates with centralized and decentralized trading venues and provides services related to digital assets and financial markets. Securities products and services are offered by Uphold Securities, Inc., a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC.
For more information, visit Uphold’s official website.
Media Contact Information
Marc Sparrow
marc@eurekabox.net
