Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon revealed during the Q&A session of the bank's fourth-quarter earnings call on January 21, 2026, that the investment bank is dedicating substantial resources to exploring stablecoins, tokenization, and prediction markets.
Internal Teams Work Directly With Senior Leadership, No Rush to Market
Solomon said the firm has an enormous number of people intensely focused on these emerging technologies, with dedicated internal teams working directly with senior leadership to determine how these innovations could expand or enhance existing operations. Rather than rushing to be first to market, he emphasized the bank is working deliberately to understand where digital market infrastructure could expand or accelerate its current businesses.
Prediction Markets: Meetings With Two Firms, CFTC Framework as Boundary
Solomon disclosed that in the last two weeks he personally met with leaders from two major prediction market companies, spending a couple of hours with each to learn about their operations. Regulatory structure is central to the firm's analysis; any engagement would be limited to markets overseen by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). He noted that CFTC-regulated prediction markets resemble derivative contract activities and that he can see opportunities where these cross into the bank's business.
The CEO confirmed ongoing discussions with U.S. policymakers, particularly regarding the Crypto Market Structure Bill. Recent draft versions introduced provisions restricting stablecoin issuers from offering yield, drawing pushback. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong withdrew support on January 14, calling the current version materially worse than the status quo. The Senate Banking Committee postponed its scheduled vote on January 15.
Long-Term View: Tokenization and Prediction Markets Are 'Real Developments'
Solomon cautioned that widespread adoption may take longer than some market observers expect, saying the pace of change might not be as quick as some pundits claim. However, he characterized tokenization and prediction markets as important, real developments deserving sustained attention.
The bank's exploration comes as the tokenized real-world assets sector grew robustly in 2025, reaching $18–33 billion by year-end, while total stablecoin market capitalization reached approximately $306 billion by late 2025, reflecting nearly 50% growth over the year.