Digital Finance Will Evolve Into ‘Foundational Infrastructure Layer’ in 2026: Moody’s

Core Insights - The technology underlying digital assets is expected to evolve into a foundational infrastructure layer for the financial services industry by 2026, significantly impacting capital allocation and market operations of traditional financial firms [1] Group 1: Trends in Digital Assets - Stablecoins and tokenized assets gained traction in payments and liquidity management in 2025, with expectations for further integration of formerly disparate sectors such as transition finance, private credit, and emerging markets [2] - Digital finance platforms are now hosting tokenized US Treasurys and structured credit products, with anticipated efficiency gains from the adoption of new technologies [3] - The increasing use of tokenized issuance and programmable settlement is expected to enhance liquidity turnover and reduce operational costs for financial institutions [3] Group 2: Interconnectivity and Adoption - Evolving technologies like stablecoins, tokenization, and blockchains are set to interconnect previously separate areas of finance, facilitating a more unified digital ecosystem [4] - Institutions are preparing to adopt stablecoins for cross-border payments and liquidity management, bridging the gap between digital and traditional finance [5] - Asset tokenization is becoming more prevalent, making it easier and cost-effective to issue and trade assets, thus opening new market opportunities [5] Group 3: Future Market Dynamics - As innovations mature, markets will increasingly compete based on the strength and maturity of their infrastructure layers, which need to be secure, efficient, and highly interoperable [6]