A new survey commissioned by Uphold and conducted by American Banker found that 75% of surveyed U.S. banks and other financial institutions have blockchain finance programs underway, highlighting growing institutional interest in digital assets and on-chain financial infrastructure.
According to the research, 22% of respondents said their blockchain projects are already live or scaling, while another 53% are piloting or assessing specific use cases.
The survey also found that banks are moving beyond experimentation toward spending and vendor procurement, with two-thirds of respondents reporting that their institutions have allocated funds for digital-asset infrastructure and 54% saying they have issued requests for proposals (RFPs) to digital-asset vendors or partners.
75% of Surveyed Institutions Have Blockchain Programs
The survey provides a snapshot of how U.S. financial institutions are approaching blockchain technology and digital assets in 2026.
Among the 114 qualified respondents:
- 75% said their institutions have blockchain finance programs underway.
- 22% reported projects that are live or scaling.
- 53% said they are piloting or assessing specific blockchain use cases.
- 25% reported no blockchain program underway based on the survey’s categories.
The figures suggest that blockchain activity among the surveyed institutions ranges from early-stage evaluation to operational deployment rather than representing a single level of adoption.
Banks Are Moving From Blockchain Pilots Toward Procurement
The survey also identified signs that financial institutions are beginning to commit budgets and resources to blockchain infrastructure.
About two-thirds of respondents said their institutions had allocated funds for digital-asset infrastructure, while 54% had issued RFPs for digital-asset vendors and partners.
This procurement activity covers infrastructure and services that can support banks as they develop digital-asset capabilities.
In addition, 72% of respondents said their institutions had appointed an executive responsible for digital-asset or blockchain strategy, while 68% said they had the necessary regulatory and compliance capabilities in-house.
Digital Wallets and Custody Lead Blockchain Use Cases
Digital-asset wallets and custody services emerged as the most frequently identified priority.
Among respondents, the leading blockchain-related services were:
| Blockchain service | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Digital wallets and/or custody | 72% |
| Digital-asset buy, sell and hold for wealth management | 70% |
| Digital wallet-led international expansion | 65% |
| Stablecoin rails for institutional settlement | 64% |
| Prime brokerage and institutional-grade clearing | 64% |
The findings indicate that banks are considering blockchain not only for cryptocurrency trading but also for custody, wealth management, cross-border activity, settlement and institutional market infrastructure.
Stablecoins Are Among the Major Institutional Use Cases
Stablecoin infrastructure for institutional settlement was identified by 64% of respondents as an important blockchain service.
Stablecoins can potentially allow financial institutions to move tokenized representations of fiat value across blockchain networks and settle transactions continuously rather than relying solely on traditional banking rails.
The survey does not establish that these institutions have already deployed stablecoin settlement at scale. Instead, the figure reflects the proportion of respondents identifying the use case as important to their blockchain strategies.
Banks Are Targeting Multiple Customer Segments
The survey found that financial institutions with blockchain initiatives are developing services for several customer groups.
Among institutions with initiatives that were live, in pilot or under evaluation:
- 65% were developing services for commercial customers.
- 52% were developing services for retail customers.
- 47% were developing services for wealth-management customers.
This suggests that blockchain strategies are not limited to institutional trading desks or cryptocurrency investment products. Banks are also considering applications across commercial banking, consumer services and wealth management.
Cybersecurity and Regulation Remain Major Barriers
Despite the adoption figures, respondents identified several challenges that could slow blockchain deployment.
The three most frequently cited barriers were:
- Cybersecurity concerns — 47%
- Risk-management and operational-risk concerns — 47%
- Regulatory uncertainty and compliance requirements — 46%
These concerns highlight the difference between testing blockchain technology and deploying it within regulated financial institutions.
Banks must consider security controls, operational resilience, customer protection, regulatory obligations and compliance requirements before blockchain systems can become part of production financial infrastructure.
Two-Thirds See Benefits for Banks and Customers
The survey found that 66% of respondents believe both banks and their customers could benefit from blockchain-powered services.
Potential applications include digital-asset custody, wealth management, settlement infrastructure, international expansion and institutional trading services.
Uphold CEO Simon McLoughlin said the survey indicates that financial institutions are committing capital and personnel to blockchain-based infrastructure.
Those comments represent Uphold’s interpretation of the survey results; the survey itself measures respondents’ reported activities and views rather than independently verifying the performance of individual blockchain deployments.
Survey Methodology
American Banker conducted the online research from July 27 through August 14, 2026, with 114 qualified respondents.
Participants worked at banks, credit unions or neobanks and were primary decision-makers, significant influencers or directly involved in their institution’s digital-asset and blockchain strategy.
The respondents represented community, regional, super-regional and national/global financial institutions. More than half, 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 respondents were not identified as being surveyed on behalf of Uphold.
Because the sample consisted of people involved in digital-asset and blockchain strategies, the results should be interpreted as a survey of relevant financial-industry decision-makers rather than a comprehensive census of all U.S. banks.
What the Survey Says About Institutional Blockchain Adoption
The survey points to several stages of blockchain adoption within the financial sector.
Some institutions have already moved blockchain projects into live or scaling environments, while a larger group remains in pilot or evaluation stages. Meanwhile, budget allocations and RFP activity suggest that some institutions are beginning to build the procurement infrastructure needed for larger deployments.
However, the survey does not establish that every pilot will ultimately become a production system. Financial institutions can discontinue or redesign technology projects following security assessments, regulatory reviews, cost analysis or changes in business priorities.
Bottom Line
The Uphold-commissioned American Banker survey found that 75% of surveyed U.S. banks, credit unions and neobanks have blockchain finance programs underway, with 22% reporting projects that are already live or scaling and 53% piloting or assessing use cases.
Digital wallets and custody, wealth management, international expansion, stablecoin settlement and institutional clearing emerged as major areas of interest.
At the same time, cybersecurity, operational risk and regulatory compliance remain significant challenges.
The findings provide a snapshot of institutional blockchain activity in 2026, but the survey’s sample of 114 qualified respondents means the results should not be interpreted as a complete measurement of every U.S. bank.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal or banking advice. Blockchain and digital-asset adoption involves regulatory, cybersecurity, operational and financial risks.
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