Ethereum Becomes Wall Street's Blockchain: 35 Giants Go All-In

Ethereum has emerged as the undisputed leader for institutional blockchain adoption, with over 35 major financial institutions deploying real-world applications on the network. The wave of institutional integration spans from banking giants to fintech leaders, marking a fundamental shift in how traditional finance views public blockchain infrastructure.

According to Ethereum on X, the network has become "the #1 choice for global financial institutions" with adoption accelerating dramatically in recent months. The ecosystem now hosts everything from tokenized stocks to money market funds, all running on Ethereum's settlement layer.

Kraken launched xStocks on Ethereum, issuing tokenized versions of U.S. stocks and ETFs as ERC-20 tokens. Eligible clients can now deposit and withdraw fully collateralized equities directly on the blockchain with 24/7 accessibility replacing traditional market hours.

Ondo Finance followed suit by launching Ondo Global Markets featuring over 100 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs. The platform provides round-the-clock access to programmable equities backed by real securities, integrated with DeFi protocols for lending and trading operations.

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Banking Titans Deploy Ethereum Infrastructure

China Asset Management launched its Select USD Money Market Fund on Ethereum, representing one of the first tokenized funds from a major Chinese asset manager. The firm oversees $449 billion in assets under management and now provides 24/7 settlement for high-quality short-term USD instruments.

Fidelity introduced the FDIT tokenized money market fund directly on Ethereum mainnet. The Fidelity Digital Interest Token brings institutional investors the speed of onchain settlement while maintaining the stability of traditional financial instruments.

Google announced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) built in collaboration with The Ethereum Foundation, Coinbase, and MetaMask. The protocol enables AI agents to autonomously execute payments using stablecoins on Ethereum, bridging automated intelligence with decentralized finance.

UBS, PostFinance, Sygnum, and the Swiss Bankers Association successfully piloted Deposit Tokens on Ethereum. The proof-of-concept demonstrated legally binding cross-bank settlement on public infrastructure, paving the way for programmable instant cross-institution transactions.

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Santander's Openbank launched ETH trading services in Germany, allowing customers to buy, sell, and custody ETH directly through bank accounts. The integration signals strong institutional confidence in ETH under MiCa regulation.

American Express launched Amex Passport on Base, Ethereum's Layer 2 network. Cardholders can create onchain records of international trips as NFTs, blending loyalty rewards with digital ownership.

SWIFT and 30+ banks are designing a blockchain ledger to support tokenized assets and real-time cross-border payments. The prototype with Consensys will create a bridge between traditional finance and onchain value across SWIFT's network of 11,500+ institutions globally.

Société Générale FORGE deployed EURCV and USDCV lending and trading on Ethereum DeFi protocols Morpho and Uniswap. The 161-year-old commercial bank now provides institutional-grade collateral and liquidity for decentralized markets.

Stripe expanded crypto support on Ethereum to include stablecoin-based subscriptions and recurring billing. Hundreds of thousands of companies using Stripe can now accept USDC for subscriptions with automatic renewals and near-instant settlement.

ETH ETFs Accumulate Massive Holdings

Since December 29, ETFs have accumulated roughly 158,545 Ethereum $ETH, worth around $520 million.

According to Ali Charts on X, institutional ETH products continue absorbing supply at unprecedented rates. The accumulation trend demonstrates growing confidence from traditional finance allocators.

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Securitize and FG Nexus tokenized FGNX stock on Ethereum, marking the first NASDAQ-listed preferred equity issued fully onchain. The milestone positions Ethereum as the platform for programmable assets bringing public markets to the digital age.

Ant Group launched Jovay Network, a Layer 2 for institutional tokenization. The company behind Alipay is building global institutional settlement for tokenized assets on Ethereum's infrastructure.

JPYC launched the world's first yen-pegged regulated stablecoin on Ethereum. Compliant programmable yen transactions are available worldwide, backed 1:1 by yen reserves under Japan's Payment Services Act.

BNY Mellon and Securitize announced a tokenized AAA-rated CLO fund on Ethereum. Institutional credit moving onchain brings unprecedented liquidity and transparency to traditional asset classes.

JPMorgan migrated its tokenized deposit product JPM Coin from its internal permissioned blockchain to Base. The move to an Ethereum Layer 2 meets demand from institutional clients for payments, collateral, and margin settlement on public infrastructure.

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Mastercard announced plans to build on Polygon to expand its Crypto Credential program. Working with Mercuryo, the expansion allows users to send crypto using verified human-readable aliases.

Amundi, Europe's largest asset manager with $2.75 trillion under management, launched a tokenized share class of its euro money market fund on Ethereum mainnet. The move unlocks 24/7 settlement and composability for euro-denominated capital.

BlackRock filed for a staked ETH ETF following their spot ETH ETF success. The filing seeks to unlock Ethereum's native staking reward rate for traditional investors.

The CFTC announced a pilot program allowing ETH, BTC, and USDC as collateral in U.S. derivatives markets. This marks a significant shift in how digital assets integrate into regulated markets.

JPMorgan launched MONY, their first tokenized money market fund on Ethereum mainnet, seeding the fund with $100 million of their own capital. The commitment signals strong belief in public chain tokenization.

Coinbase announced Coinbase Tokenize built on Base as their end-to-end institutional platform for tokenizing real-world assets. The platform combines issuance, custody, compliance, trading, and infrastructure for bringing assets like tokenized stocks, equities, funds, and real estate onchain.

Robinhood added 500 tokenized assets on Arbitrum, bringing their platform to nearly 2,000 tokenized assets with over $14 million in total value. The fintech giant continues deepening integration with Ethereum's Layer 2 ecosystem.

SoFi became the first national U.S. retail bank to issue a stablecoin on a public blockchain. Launched on Ethereum, SoFiUSD will be used for faster, cheaper internal settlements for the fintech giant and partners.

Morgan Stanley filed for a Staked Ether ETF, doubling down on its crypto strategy. One of the world's largest wealth managers is moving beyond spot exposure to capture Ethereum's native staking yield.

The ADI Foundation partnered with M-Pesa to bring 60 million+ users onchain. Africa's largest mobile money platform is integrating blockchain rails to power instant cross-border payments and stablecoin transactions on Ethereum's global settlement layer.

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3 Key Takeaways:

• ETFs accumulated 158,545 ETH worth $520 million since late December showcasing institutional demand surge
• 35+ institutions including JPMorgan, BlackRock, and Google deployed real applications on Ethereum infrastructure
• Tokenized stocks, money market funds, and stablecoins now operate 24/7 on Ethereum's settlement layer

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