Uphold said new research shows 75% of American banks now have blockchain finance programs underway, with 22% reporting projects that are already live or scaling and another 53% saying they are piloting or assessing specific use cases.
The study, commissioned by Uphold and conducted by American Banker, suggests U.S. banks have moved into an active buying cycle for digital asset infrastructure. According to the findings, 54% of banks have issued requests for proposals, or RFPs, to digital asset vendors and partners, while two-thirds have already allocated funds for infrastructure.
Banks are moving from evaluation to implementation
The survey found that three quarters of U.S. banks confirmed digital asset programs of some kind. Of that total, 22% said projects were already live or in scaling mode, while more than half were still in pilot programs or active evaluation.
On internal readiness, 72% of institutions said they had appointed an executive accountable for digital asset or blockchain strategy. Another 68% said they already had the necessary in-house regulatory and compliance capabilities.
Simon McLoughlin, CEO of Uphold, said: “Blockchain powers cheaper, faster and better financial services. The kind the next generation of bank customers expect as digital natives who’ve grown up with instant, borderless, always-on messaging services.”
He added: “Our survey shows that promise is already moving from theory to practice, as financial institutions commit capital and talent to blockchain-based infrastructure. The failure of the Clarity Act has delayed a comprehensive legal framework for the US market, but it has not stopped progress. It’s been gratifying to see the SEC and CFTC move swiftly to fill the regulatory gap, smooth the path for blockchain adoption and give firms a clear way forward. Regulation is no substitute for durable legislation, but the direction seems clear and irreversible: finance is moving on-chain.”
Digital wallets, custody and wealth management rank highest
Uphold asked American Banker to poll U.S. banks of different sizes on their progress in integrating blockchain-powered services, their priority use cases, and the benefits they expect. Respondents included multinational banks, regional banks, and credit unions. More than half of respondents, 53%, said their institutions had more than $50 billion in assets under management.
When asked which blockchain services mattered most, respondents cited the following:
- Digital wallets and/or custody solutions: 72%
- Digital asset buy/sell/hold for wealth management: 70%
- Digital wallet-led international expansion: 65%
- Stablecoin rails for institutional settlement: 64%
- Prime brokerage and institutional-grade clearing: 64%
Two in three respondents, or 66%, said blockchain-powered services would benefit both banks and their customers.
Banks are also building across multiple customer groups. Among institutions with initiatives that are live, in pilot, or under evaluation, 65% said they were designing services for commercial customers, 52% for retail customers, and 47% for wealth management clients.
Security, risk and regulation remain the main obstacles
Even with that momentum, respondents pointed to several obstacles slowing progress in digital asset and blockchain strategy. The top three were cybersecurity concerns at 47%, risk management and operational risk concerns at 47%, and regulatory uncertainty and compliance requirements at 46%.
McLoughlin said: “The world’s biggest economy and largest capital market is now at the forefront of blockchain-powered transformation. Thankfully, our report shows strong momentum among banks across a wide range of areas, and particularly in digital wallets, wealth management, custody and stablecoins. Irrespective of recent news from Washington, the financial industry will continue innovating, customer demands will keep evolving, and the legal framework will take shape via diverse regulatory forces, some international, some domestic. The coming blockchain economy will unlock significant pools of capital and has the potential to accelerate global growth.”
How the survey was conducted
American Banker conducted the research online from July 27 to Aug. 14, 2026, among 114 qualified respondents. Those respondents worked at a bank, credit union, or neobank and were either primary decision-makers, significant influencers, or directly involved in their institution’s digital asset and blockchain strategy.
The respondent pool included community banks, regional banks, super-regional banks, national and global banks, as well as credit unions.
The research used a blind data collection process, and Uphold was not identified as the sponsor during the survey.
About Uphold
Uphold describes itself as a financial technology company built around the view that on-chain services are the future of finance. It provides infrastructure for on-chain payments, banking, and investments, and says it serves millions of customers in more than 140 countries through consumer services, business services, and institutional trading.
The company said it integrates with more than 30 trading venues, including centralized and decentralized exchanges, to provide liquidity, resilience, and optimal execution. Uphold also said it does not lend out customer assets unless customers request it, and that it remains 100% reserved at all times.
Uphold said it publishes its assets and liabilities every 30 seconds on a public website as part of what it describes as radical transparency.
On regulation, the company said it is regulated in the U.S. by FinCEN and state regulators, registered in the UK with the Financial Conduct Authority, and registered in Europe with the Bank of Portugal. Securities products and services are offered by Uphold Securities, Inc., a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC.
More information on the company’s products and services is available at uphold.com.