Ripple: Banks Have Invested Over 100 Billion USD in Blockchain Infrastructure Since 2020

According to a recent report supported by Ripple, traditional banks have invested over $100 billion in blockchain since 2020, affirming that digital assets are becoming more popular. This figure comes from "Banking on Digital Assets," a joint study by Ripple, CB Insights, and the UK Blockchain Technology Center (UK CBT), analyzing over 10,000 blockchain transactions and surveying more than 1,800 global financial leaders. According to the research results, major banks are increasing investments in custody, encryption, and payment infrastructure — despite regulatory uncertainty and market volatility. The report estimates that over $100 billion has been invested in blockchain initiatives and digital assets globally from 2020 to 2024. The report also shows that 90% of surveyed financial leaders believe that these technologies will have a significant or major impact on finance in the next three years. The report indicates that from 2020 to 2024, traditional financial institutions participated in 345 blockchain transactions globally. Payment-related infrastructure holds the largest market share, followed by cryptocurrency custody, tokenization, and on-chain foreign exchange. Approximately 25% of investments are focused on infrastructure providers that support blockchain payments and asset issuance. More than 90% of CFOs surveyed by Ripple believe that blockchain and digital assets will have a "significant" or "major" impact on finance by 2028. Among the banks surveyed, 65% said they are actively exploring digital asset custody services, with over half considering stablecoins and tokenized real assets as top priorities. Cited examples include HSBC's gold-backed platform, Goldman Sachs' blockchain payment tool GS DAP, and SBI's research on quantum-resistant digital currency. However, most respondents indicated that consumer-facing digital assets are not an immediate focus — less than 20% of banks report offering cryptocurrency trading services or retail wallets. The report suggests that this change is more infrastructural than speculative. Organizations are heavily investing in blockchain to modernize cross-border payments, streamline balance sheet management, and reduce reliance on traditional payment methods. Ripple, the company providing enterprise-grade blockchain solutions for banks, has positioned these findings as evidence that "the tokenization of real-world assets is entering the deployment phase." Although regulatory clarity has been slow in many jurisdictions, more than two-thirds of the surveyed banks indicated that they expect to implement digital asset initiatives within the next three years. These efforts may range from piloting tokenized bonds to building compatible payment layers for CBDCs and private stablecoins. Despite the recent volatility in the cryptocurrency market, Ripple's report argues that capital formation is accelerating rather than retreating. The report notes that blockchain investment from traditional finance reached its highest level since the FTX exchange in Q1 2024, and emerging markets — including the UAE, India, and Singapore — are driving adoption faster than the United States and Europe. For blockchain companies and infrastructure providers, the message is clear: the next wave of adoption by institutions will not depend on the hype cycle or retail frenzy, but on the quiet transformation of the global financial system.