Global cryptocurrency regulation has shifted from rule-writing to execution, turning digital assets from a speculative market into deployable financial infrastructure, according to a new report from PwC.

The firm’s report argues that the most consequential change is no longer whether crypto is regulated, but how those rules are now enabling banks, asset managers, and corporates to integrate stablecoins, tokenized money, and on-chain settlement directly into financial operations.

Regulation Moves From Policy To Plumbing

PwC finds that 2026 marks a transition from fragmented regulatory debates to active supervision across major jurisdictions.

Stablecoin frameworks, custody requirements, disclosure standards, and licensing regimes are no longer theoretical. They are live, enforced, and shaping day-to-day financial activity.

As a result, crypto regulation is increasingly functioning as financial plumbing rather than a constraint.

Institutions that previously limited activity to pilots are now embedding digital assets into treasury management, cross-border payments, and internal settlement processes.

In many cases, these systems operate behind the scenes, with end users unaware blockchain rails are involved.

Stablecoins Become Monetary Infrastructure

The report highlights stablecoins as the clearest example of crypto’s integration into the monetary system.

With hundreds of billions of dollars outstanding globally and the vast majority denominated in U.S. dollars, stablecoins have evolved from trading tools into settlement instruments used by exchanges, fintechs, and increasingly traditional financial institutions.

PwC notes that regulation has legitimized private-sector stablecoins rather than crowding them out with state-only solutions.

This has allowed banks, payment firms, and crypto platforms to coexist on shared settlement rails while competing on services, distribution, and customer experience.

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Tokenization Extends Beyond Capital Markets

Beyond payments, PwC identifies tokenized deposits and on-chain representations of financial assets as a growing focus of regulators.

These instruments are beginning to blur the line between traditional banking products and blockchain-based systems, particularly in wholesale markets and cross-border finance.

The report suggests that regulation is accelerating this shift by clarifying liability, custody, and operational risk, conditions necessary for large institutions to move meaningful balance-sheet activity on chain.

Dollar Dominance Enters The Digital Era

One of the report’s more forward-looking conclusions is geopolitical.

PwC frames the U.S. dollar’s dominance as increasingly tied to digital infrastructure rather than just reserve holdings.

Dollar-backed stablecoins, widely used outside the U.S., are effectively extending dollar influence through blockchain networks rather than correspondent banking.

This evolution, PwC argues, could reshape how monetary power is exercised globally, as competition shifts toward controlling digital settlement rails rather than issuing currency alone.

Fragmentation Becomes The New Risk

While high-level regulatory principles are converging, PwC warns that implementation remains fragmented.

Differences between U.S., EU, UK, and Asian frameworks mean firms must navigate multiple compliance models simultaneously.

According to the report, the competitive advantage in the next phase of crypto adoption will belong to companies that treat regulation as market design, building products and infrastructure that align with regulatory intent across jurisdictions, rather than as a legal afterthought.

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