Fireblocks said regulatory clarity is driving digital-asset investment, with Europe moving ahead under MiCA and U.K. firms preparing stablecoin and payments infrastructure as domestic rules take shape.
European and U.K. financial institutions are increasing investment in digital-asset infrastructure as regulation becomes clearer, according to a Fireblocks survey of more than 600 senior executives cited by News.Bitcoin.com. The survey found that 99% of European financial institutions and 100% of U.K. institutions said regulatory policy would support digital-asset adoption. Investment has accelerated in continental Europe after the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, or MiCA, set regulatory standards. Fireblocks said 53% of European financial institutions had already committed funding to digital-asset-related businesses before 2026, above the global average of 42%. In the U.K., where regulators are still building out the framework, 36% of institutions have already allocated budgets and 59% plan additional investment this year. The main use cases identified were real-time payments and 24-hour fund settlement, selected by 86% of European financial institutions and 82% of U.K. institutions. European firms also showed strong interest in tokenized money market funds, with 62% saying they plan to use them, while 50% of U.K. institutions said they are pursuing issuance of their own stablecoins, compared with 40% in Europe.