Your Bank Account Is About to Get Crypto

$230 billion in assets. Over 500 crypto relationships. Silicon Valley Bank just declared 2026 "crypto's integration year." Translation: your everyday banking is about to change, whether you know it or not.

The Suits Have Arrived

JPMorgan will accept bitcoin and ether as collateral. Société Générale launched a euro stablecoin. PNC, Citi, and Wells Fargo are exploring joint token projects. This isn't speculation anymore—it's infrastructure.

Venture funding in US crypto companies jumped 44% to $7.9 billion last year. But here's the twist: fewer deals, bigger checks. Median investment sizes hit $5 million as smart money concentrated on proven teams. The casino phase is over.

"The suits and ties have arrived," says Anthony Vassallo, SVB's senior VP of crypto. More than 140 VC-backed crypto companies were acquired in four quarters—a 59% year-over-year surge. Coinbase dropped $2.9 billion on Deribit. Kraken spent $1.5 billion on NinjaTrader. Why build when you can buy?

Stablecoins: The Internet's New Dollar

Forget volatility. Dollar-pegged digital tokens are becoming digital cash with a purpose: instant settlement, lower costs than ACH transfers, perfect for corporate treasury and cross-border payments.

Regulatory clarity accelerated everything. The US GENIUS Act established federal standards: 1:1 reserve backing, monthly disclosures. Starting 2027, only banks or approved entities can issue compliant stablecoins.

The money follows: stablecoin-focused investment surged to $1.5 billion in 2025, up from $50 million in 2019. That's 30x growth in six years.

Real Assets Go Digital

Tokenized cash, Treasuries, and money-market instruments exceeded $36 billion in 2025. BlackRock and Franklin Templeton funds are settling hundreds of millions directly onchain. Robinhood offers tokenized stock exposure in Europe, with US expansion planned.

Private and public markets are converging on shared settlement rails. The result? Intraday settlement, reduced transfer costs, programmable payments.

AI Meets Crypto Infrastructure

Here's where it gets interesting: 40 cents of every crypto venture dollar went to companies also building AI products in 2025, up from 18 cents the year prior. Autonomous agents negotiating and settling payments without human intervention. Blockchain-based verification addressing AI's trust deficit.

The Invisible Revolution

SVB predicts next year's breakout apps won't brand themselves as crypto. They'll look like fintech products with stablecoin settlement, tokenized assets, and AI agents operating quietly in the background.

At least 172 public companies held bitcoin in Q3 2025, up 40% from Q2, collectively controlling roughly 5% of circulating supply. Corporate balance sheets are voting with their treasuries.

Banking's New Perimeter

In 2025, 18 companies applied for OCC banking charters, most blockchain-enabled. The regulator granted conditional approval to digital-asset-focused trust banks including BitGo, Circle, Fidelity Digital Assets, Paxos, and Ripple.

That's the turning point: stablecoin and custody infrastructure moving inside the federal banking perimeter. Traditional institutions face a choice—acquire crypto capabilities or risk disruption by vertically integrated crypto-native rivals.