DLT in the real world 2026: report

7th annual edition: where, how and why DLT is transforming the capital markets this year?

In Partnership with

In partnership with ISSA and supported by Accenture, Broadridge and Taurus, the seventh annual study draws on responses from 510 institutional capital markets firms in Q2 2026.

After seven years of tracking DLT across the capital markets, “it’s all finally happening”.

Budgets are surging

Importance

3x DLT budget growth compared to broader industry spend, with a bar chart icon.

After seven years of tracking, DLT has never carried more strategic weight.

Firms are committing meaningfully more to DLT and digital assets.

DLT is delivering

Performance

77% see significant improvements versus traditional platforms, with a stacked squares icon.

DLT is moving beyond experimentation into demonstrable performance.

For firms already using DLT in live environments, the benefits are becoming increasingly tangible.

Tokenised collateral

Leading

27% to unlock billions of dollars in trapped assets, shown on a blue gauge meter.

Tokenised collateral is firmly en route to becoming the #1 DLT use case in 2027.

Collateral is emerging as a leading practical application for DLT to mobilise assets more efficiently.

DLT in the real world 2026 describes an industry that has moved through multiple phases of exploration and experimentation to enter a critical year of deployment.

The evidence points to growing strategic importance and practical adoption:

DLT budgets are growing at three times the pace of broader industry spend
77% of live DLT users see significant improvements versus traditional platforms
12% expect over USD 1 billion per month in DLT transaction volumes in 2027
27% of firms are looking to tokenised collateral to unlock billions of dollars in trapped assets
Over 70% expect to use stablecoins and tokenised deposits in 2027

Seven years in the making

Underneath the global DLT headlines is a host of specific narratives, each evolving at different speeds and across different regions.

Tokenised collateral is on course to become the #1 DLT use case in 2027
Tokenised money market funds have emerged as the #1 digital asset class
Stablecoins and tokenised deposits are moving further into firms' plans for 2027

The whitepaper explores these developments alongside the landmark changes expected to shape the next stage of DLT adoption across the capital markets.

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