Three-quarters of 114 US financial institutions surveyed by Uphold and American Banker have active blockchain initiatives, though most remain in pilot or evaluation stages. The survey, conducted from July 27 to August 14, 2026, found that 22% had live or scaling projects and 53% were running pilots or formal evaluations. Two-thirds had dedicated funding for digital asset infrastructure, 54% had issued requests for proposals, and 72% had appointed an executive to oversee strategy. Digital wallets and custody, wealth-management trading and holding services, and institutional stablecoin settlements were the leading use cases. Cybersecurity and operational risk each concerned 47% of respondents, while regulatory compliance complexity affected 46%. Uphold CEO Simon McLoughlin said the industry had moved beyond theoretical blockchain debates, citing progress by the SEC (U.S. securities regulator) and CFTC (U.S. derivatives regulator), although the anticipated Clarity Act remains unfinished. Two-thirds of respondents said blockchain adoption would create benefits for both banks and customers.