Fireblocks: 99% of mainland European financial institutions expect policies to support digital asset adoption

Odaily News: Digital asset infrastructure company Fireblocks has released its 2026 Financial Grid survey, based on responses from more than 600 senior executives. The survey shows that 99% of financial institutions in mainland Europe and 100% of surveyed institutions in the UK expect policies to support digital asset adoption.

The European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) has provided local businesses with a clear framework, with 53% of mainland European institutions having committed funding by 2026, higher than the global average of 42%. The UK's regulatory structure is still being developed, with 36% of institutions having set budgets and another 59% planning to allocate funding in 2026.

European institutions cited reliable connectivity between digital assets and fiat currencies as their primary obstacle, accounting for 55%; production-ready use cases and institutional-grade infrastructure accounted for 49% and 40%, respectively. Among UK institutions, 71% cited core system limitations as an obstacle, while 60% identified reputation and long-term financial stability as key factors in selecting service providers.

24/7 settlement and real-time payments are the top use cases in both regions, accounting for 86% in Europe and 82% in the UK. In Europe, 62% of institutions plan to use tokenized money market funds, compared to 45% in the UK; 50% of UK institutions plan to issue their own stablecoins, higher than the 40% in mainland Europe.