Crypto is set to become a key part of the global economy by 2026. Ripple’s president, Monica Long, says the industry is moving into its “production era,” where the focus shifts from hype to real-world use. This means crypto will start powering everyday financial systems and business operations.

One big area of growth is stablecoins—digital currencies that are tied to traditional money like the US dollar. In 2025, stablecoins saw massive growth, hitting $310 billion in market value and processing $33 trillion in transactions. That’s nearly one-third of all crypto transactions. Big names like Visa, Stripe, YouTube, and Western Union are already using stablecoins for faster and cheaper payments.

Monica Long believes 2026 will be the year stablecoins become the backbone of global payments. Instead of being an alternative payment method, they’ll be built directly into financial systems. Businesses will use them to move money instantly, improve cash flow, and manage funds more efficiently.

Ripple has jumped into this trend with its own stablecoin, RLUSD. It quickly reached over $1 billion on Ethereum and offers features like yield generation—helping users earn while holding it.

Crypto’s reach will also expand into major institutions in 2026. In 2025, big companies began taking crypto more seriously. Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs performed well, and a Coinbase survey found that 60% of Fortune 500 companies are working on blockchain projects. Around 200 public companies now hold Bitcoin in their reserves.

Looking ahead, Long expects institutional use of crypto to grow fast. She says more banks and financial institutions will adopt blockchain for settlement processes. This could shift 5–10% of capital market settlements onto blockchain networks, improving speed and transparency. Regulatory support and stablecoin adoption by major players will drive this change.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will also play a big role. As AI merges with blockchain tech, businesses can automate financial tasks like liquidity management and margin calls. Asset managers will use AI to manage tokenized assets and stablecoins more effectively.

To keep these systems secure and private, new technologies like zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) will be essential. Ripple is already developing ZKP tools for the XRP Ledger to ensure data privacy on-chain.

All signs point to 2026 as the year crypto becomes deeply embedded in global finance. It won’t just be about trading—it will be part of how money moves around the world.

Currently, XRP is trading at around $1.90, showing a slight dip as the overall crypto market cap falls by nearly 2%, sitting just above $3 trillion.