EY-Parthenon Survey Finds Stablecoin Production Use Doubled Among Corporates in 2026

A 2026 survey by EY-Parthenon covering 521 corporate and financial institution decision-makers shows stablecoins moving from experimentation into embedded payment and treasury workflows. Eighteen percent of corporates report using stablecoins in production, double the figure from the equivalent 2025 survey, while tokenised deposits trail narrowly at 15% adoption. Financial institution commitment has accelerated sharply: 69% either offer stablecoin services or plan to within two years, compared with 30% in 2025, and 49% of banks are on a similar timeline for tokenised deposits.

Cross-border business payments are the primary entry point, with 50% to 53% of all respondents having used or explored stablecoins and tokenised deposits for cross-border supplier payments or business-to-business (B2B) payment acceptance. The friction points driving that interest are well-documented in the data: 56% of respondents cite slow processing and settlement, 52% flag foreign exchange costs or spreads, 48% point to regulatory and compliance delays, and 36% identify correspondent banking fees. Faster settlement and lower costs rank as the leading drivers of institutional interest in both rails.

The survey also suggests the market is settling into a multi-rail posture rather than a winner-takes-all outcome. Among respondents with blockchain payment interest, 45% of corporates and 53% of financial institutions favour using both stablecoins and tokenised deposits, citing flexibility and the expectation that the two methods will coexist. Tokenised asset settlement was the most frequently cited value-add opportunity on top of blockchain payment rails, selected by 63% of financial institution respondents, pointing to appetite for programmable settlement that extends well beyond basic money movement.