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The Next Institutional Crypto Cycle, 2026-2030 Finery Markets & Stablecoin Insider Research · February 2026
Something has quietly broken in the logic of institutional finance. The infrastructure that once made banks indispensable such as the correspondent networks, the settlement delays, the multi-layered intermediaries, is being replicated in software, at a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the time.
A new report from Finery Markets and Stablecoin Insider puts a name to what many institutions are already sensing: we have reached an inflection point.
Would Anyone Miss Banking Rails? The Next Institutional Crypto Cycle, 2026-2030 arrives at a moment when total digital asset market capitalization has stabilized around $3.1 trillion and the industry's center of gravity has shifted decisively away from speculation.
The vertically integrated "pure exchange" model that defined the last cycle is being dismantled. In its place: modular infrastructure, programmatic settlement, and stablecoins functioning not as products but as rails.
"Profitability no longer relies on price speculation, it relies on the radical optimization of capital efficiency, modular infrastructure, and institutional-grade settlement rails."
The report's central argument is that the next four years will be defined by a utility-price decoupling with a structural separation between asset prices and the economic value generated by blockchain infrastructure. Settlement is the new alpha. OTC desks are evolving from voice-brokered operations into algorithmic liquidity engines. And real-world assets, tokenized and on-chain, are beginning to reshape how traditional market makers operate.
For banks, the implications are existential. Legacy payment rails are not simply being improved upon, they are being circumvented. As stablecoins mature into settlement infrastructure and regulatory frameworks solidify globally, the question shifts from whether institutions will adopt on-chain finance to how quickly they can afford not to.
What's Inside:
01 — The Institutional Adoption Cycle.
Why 2026 marks the inflection point, which institutional players are entering the market, and the regulatory catalysts driving adoption.
02 — The Evolution of OTC Market Structure.
From voice-brokered to algorithmic: liquidity aggregation trends and the rise of digital asset prime brokerage.
03 — The RWA Effect on OTC Markets.
Tokenized bonds, structured products, cross-chain settlement mechanics, and the impact on traditional market makers.
04 — The New Alpha: Stablecoin Revolution.
Stablecoins as settlement infrastructure, DeFi corridor yield opportunities, and emerging global regulatory frameworks.
Whether you're a treasury professional weighing stablecoin exposure, a prime brokerage desk rethinking liquidity strategy, or a policy team tracking the regulatory horizon, this report offers a rigorous, data-grounded roadmap for the cycle ahead.
Download the report
