Survey Finds 75% of U.S. Banks Are Moving Ahead With Blockchain Programs

A new survey commissioned by Uphold and conducted by American Banker found that 75% of U.S. banks have blockchain finance programs underway, with 22% already live or scaling and another 53% in pilot or evaluation. The findings point to a market that has moved beyond early exploration and into procurement, budgeting, and internal staffing. According to the survey, 54% of banks have issued requests for proposals to digital asset vendors and partners, while two-thirds have allocated budget for infrastructure. The most important use cases cited by respondents were digital wallets and custody, digital asset buy/sell/hold services for wealth management, wallet-led international expansion, stablecoin rails for institutional settlement, and prime brokerage and institutional-grade clearing. The study also found that 72% of institutions have assigned an executive to oversee digital asset or blockchain strategy, and 68% said they already have the in-house regulatory and compliance capabilities needed to support these efforts. At the same time, banks still see major hurdles. Cybersecurity concerns, risk management and operational risk, and regulatory uncertainty were the three most frequently cited barriers. The research was conducted online between July 27 and Aug. 14, 2026, among 114 qualified respondents from banks, credit unions, and neobanks across the U.S.