Digital assets have moved well beyond their speculative origins to become a recognised component of mainstream financial markets, according to the WealthTech Radar 2026, published by fincite.
One chapter in the report, which can be found here, argues that the central question for banks is no longer whether to engage with digital assets, but how to build the governance and depth the asset class demands.
The report divides digital assets into three distinct categories. Tokenised assets, covering securities, real assets, and intangibles, currently carry a market capitalisation of around $20bn on public blockchains, making them the smallest segment.
Tokenised money, which includes stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), has grown to $300bn in market cap, with stablecoins now processing transaction volumes comparable to Visa and Mastercard.
Cryptocurrencies, led by Bitcoin and Ethereum, remain the dominant category at approximately $2.9tn, having briefly touched $4.1tn in October 2025.
The year 2025 was a mixed one for the broader digital asset market. Total market capitalisation edged down from $3.1tn to $2.7tn, and Bitcoin retreated from roughly $93,400 to $87,500, underperforming gold, which gained approximately 62.5% and reaffirmed its safe-haven credentials.
Nevertheless, Bitcoin did reach a record high of over $126,000 per coin on 6 October 2025, before pulling back. Meanwhile, crypto ETP inflows reached $47.2bn globally, just short of the 2024 record of $48.7bn, with the US accounting for $42.5bn of that figure and Europe contributing around $2.85bn.
The regulatory landscape has also matured considerably. In the US, the GENIUS Act, passed in July 2025, established the first nationwide framework for stablecoins, covering reserve requirements and oversight. In Europe, MiCA continued its operationalisation, providing institutional players with a clearer compliance pathway. Notably, the first BaFin-regulated euro stablecoin from AllUnity launched during the year.
Fincite's report urges banks to act with urgency across all three digital asset categories. For cryptocurrencies, that means offering wallet infrastructure and access via crypto ETPs through existing securities accounts. For tokenised money, banks must prepare to orchestrate payments across CBDCs, stablecoins, and tokenised deposits simultaneously. And for tokenised assets, early positioning as a trusted access point is critical to avoiding future disintermediation.
DWS digital products analyst Pablo Nobre dos Reis said, 'Digital assets are increasingly becoming an established component of global financial markets.'
DWS global head of digital products Dr Alexander Bechtel said, 'Anyone looking to access digital customer segments or provide more value to existing customers should strategically develop crypto asset offerings.'