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Traditional financial institutions are shedding their skepticism toward crypto, and the shift is accelerating in 2026.<\/p>\n
Banks, brokerages, and exchanges are racing to offer crypto products as demand from retail investors, institutions, and wealthy clients reaches a tipping point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
David Ripley, co-CEO of crypto exchange Kraken, told<\/a> Axios that \u201cnearly all traditional financial services companies are gonna offer crypto, bitcoin, ethereum to their customers\u201d \u2014 a development he called \u201ca big story of 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n The turning point reflects a broader collision of mega-trends reshaping financial markets. Stablecoins, tokenization, AI, and extended-hours trading are converging to create a financial system that is more digital, more global, and increasingly around the clock.<\/p>\n Ripley said the rise of stablecoins<\/a> \u2014 blockchain-based versions of traditional assets \u2014 has primed investors for what comes next: tokenized public equities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe next most significant place where we see tokenized equity or tokenized assets will be public equities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The stakes are high. Kraken recently announced plans<\/a> to offer tokenized IPO shares to retail investors, targeting ordinary Americans who Ripley says have been \u201centirely locked out\u201d of major wealth-creating companies until late in their growth cycles.<\/p>\n The IPO market itself is preparing for a historic wave. SpaceX is targeting<\/a> a Nasdaq debut this week, seeking to raise about $75 billion at a $1.7 trillion valuation \u2014 which would make it the largest IPO on record.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nasdaq CFO Sarah Youngwood told Axios the U.S. market has the depth to absorb a pipeline of trillion-dollar offerings, including OpenAI and Anthropic, without structural changes.<\/p>\n Nasdaq is pushing<\/a> into extended-hours trading, aligning with crypto markets that never close.\u00a0<\/p>\n These comments to Axios come as bitcoin fights near $60,000, but its 50% decline from the all-time high have not deterred major institutional investors, according<\/a> to Coinbase\u2019s head of institutional strategy, John D\u2019Agostino, who says sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and other large investors are actively buying the dip.\u00a0<\/p>\nCoinbase Executive: Institutions are buying<\/h2>\n