Institutional interest in crypto has moved far beyond experimentation. Over the last two years, we have seen a major shift in how enterprises, financial institutions, asset managers, and fintech platforms approach cryptocurrency and blockchain adoption. The market is no longer defined only by speculative trading. Instead, it is increasingly shaped by regulated investment products, stablecoin settlement infrastructure, real-world asset tokenization, and enterprise-grade security requirements.
This is exactly why institutional crypto adoption is becoming one of the strongest indicators of long-term market demand for digital asset infrastructure. As more institutions enter the market and expand their activity, the need for secure and scalable custody models becomes urgent. That includes both custodial and non-custodial solutions, with a noticeable rise in demand for non-custodial control, governance, and operational flexibility.
In this report-style Vaultody blog analysis, we break down what changed in the past 24 months, how much institutional interest is growing, where adoption is heading in the next 1 to 3 years, and why platforms like Vaultody are positioned to support the next phase of institutional crypto growth.
What Changed in Institutional Crypto Adoption Over the Past Two Years
1) Institutions shifted toward regulated crypto access and structured exposure
One of the clearest institutional adoption trends since 2024 has been the preference for compliant, regulated market access rather than informal spot exposure.
EY-Parthenon’s institutional research found that 62% of surveyed institutions prefer registered vehicles rather than spot holdings, and 67% have already invested in digital assets or related funds. The report also shows 94% of respondents believe in the long-term value of blockchain and digital assets, which signals that institutional crypto adoption is not a temporary narrative, but a strategic direction.
This trend accelerated in 2025. Coinbase and EY-Parthenon reported that more than three-quarters of institutions surveyed planned to increase their allocations in 2025, and 59% expected to allocate over 5% of AUM into digital assets or related products.
Key takeaway for institutional crypto adoption: regulated exposure is becoming the preferred entry point, but institutions still need operational infrastructure behind the scenes to manage assets securely and efficiently.
2) Spot Bitcoin ETFs accelerated institutional interest in crypto at scale
The launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in 2024 changed the institutional crypto market structure. ETFs created a more familiar investment wrapper for traditional allocators and enabled broader participation with standard compliance and reporting frameworks.
By 2025, total U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF assets were already in the range of $100B+, reflecting sustained institutional-scale adoption and capital inflows. ETF.com tracks the overall category and fund-level growth, including the largest products by assets.
Institutional interest in crypto is increasingly tied to infrastructure maturity. ETFs helped validate crypto as an investable asset class, but they also increased demand for broader services like treasury management, institutional wallets, policy controls, and settlement operations.
3) Tokenization became one of the fastest-growing institutional blockchain trends
The last two years also produced measurable progress in real-world asset tokenization. Tokenization is one of the strongest examples of blockchain adoption beyond cryptocurrency trading, because it represents financial products and real assets being issued and managed on-chain.
Binance Research reported that the tokenized real-world asset market grew by more than 260% in the first half of 2025, reaching around $23B in valuation. Private credit and U.S. Treasury debt were the leading categories.
CoinGecko’s 2025 RWA report also highlights rapid growth in tokenized treasuries, including a $2.3B increase in a single month, and the rise of institutional-grade products such as BlackRock and Securitize’s BUIDL.
This matters because tokenization is not driven by retail speculation. It is being shaped by institutions that want better settlement speed, improved liquidity, fractional ownership, and programmable asset management.
4) Stablecoins evolved into institutional settlement and treasury infrastructure
Stablecoins have become a major part of institutional crypto adoption because they enable near real-time settlement and cross-border value transfer without relying on legacy banking hours.
Visa expanded stablecoin settlement capabilities in the United States and enabled settlement using USDC. This is a major signal that stablecoins are becoming integrated into mainstream financial operations.
As stablecoin settlement grows, institutions need secure wallet infrastructure, transaction controls, and reliable signing governance. This naturally increases demand for enterprise-grade custody models.
How Much Is Institutional Interest in Crypto Increasing
The strongest measurable indicators of institutional crypto adoption growth include survey allocation intent, ETF AUM growth, and tokenized asset expansion.
In 2024, institutional research already showed strong belief in blockchain’s long-term value and rising exposure via funds and registered products.
In 2025, Coinbase and EY-Parthenon found that more than 75% of institutions planned to increase allocations in 2025, with a significant share targeting over 5% AUM exposure.
Tokenized RWAs reached around $23B in H1 2025, growing at one of the fastest rates in the digital asset sector, according to Binance Research.
Together, these metrics show that institutional interest in crypto is not only growing, it is expanding into multiple categories such as ETFs, tokenized treasuries, private credit, and stablecoin settlement.
Institutional Crypto Adoption Forecast for the Next 1-3 Years
Institutional adoption projections vary, but credible research points in the same direction: continued growth and deeper integration into financial systems.
McKinsey estimates that tokenized market capitalization excluding cryptocurrencies and stablecoins could reach around $2 trillion by 2030, with a potential range of $1T to $4T depending on adoption speed.
BCG and ADDX forecast a larger potential market of $16.1T by 2030, showing a more aggressive scenario.
Over the next 12 months, we expect more institutions to increase exposure through regulated products and expand stablecoin usage in treasury and settlement workflows. Over the next 24 to 36 months, tokenization adoption is likely to accelerate further as more institutions deploy products that require blockchain-native custody and transaction governance.
Why Custodial and Non-Custodial Providers Will See Stronger Demand
As institutional crypto adoption grows, the market’s biggest challenge becomes operational scalability, not asset access.
Institutions need infrastructure that supports:
- secure wallet creation and lifecycle management
- governance and approval workflows
- audit logs and reporting
- transaction policies and risk controls
- multi-chain and multi-asset support
Custodial solutions remain important for regulated safekeeping and outsourced controls. At the same time, institutional demand for non-custodial solutions is rising due to the need for direct control, flexible treasury execution, and reduced counterparty concentration risk.
Non-custodial infrastructure is especially relevant for businesses that want to operate on-chain, including tokenized treasury products, stablecoin settlement, and blockchain-based payments.
Where Vaultody Fits in the Institutional Crypto Adoption Wave
Vaultody is built for the direction institutional crypto adoption is moving. As institutions shift from passive exposure into active operations, they require secure non-custodial control with enterprise-grade governance.
Vaultody supports institutional needs by enabling secure digital asset operations without forcing businesses into a single custody model. This is essential for institutions that need to scale across multiple networks, workflows, and risk requirements.
As institutional interest in crypto continues rising, demand will expand for solutions like Vaultody in multiple niches, including:
- fintech platforms offering crypto services to businesses
- payment companies using stablecoins for settlement
- asset managers and funds working with tokenized assets
- enterprises managing crypto treasuries or on-chain liquidity
- exchanges, brokers, and infrastructure providers needing wallet governance
This market shift creates a direct link between institutional adoption and demand for Vaultody’s services. As tokenization and stablecoin settlement expand, businesses need secure wallet infrastructure and policy controls to operate safely at scale. Vaultody becomes a critical layer that enables institutional-grade adoption without sacrificing flexibility.
A second major driver is risk management. As institutions increase AUM exposure to crypto-related products, operational failures become unacceptable. Vaultody helps reduce operational risk by enabling governance-driven transaction execution and secure key management models aligned with institutional requirements.
Final Outlook: Institutional Crypto Adoption Is Driving Infrastructure Demand
The last two years have proven that institutional interest in crypto is accelerating across multiple sectors. ETFs unlocked regulated access, tokenization introduced blockchain-native investment products, and stablecoins pushed blockchain deeper into settlement and treasury operations.
Over the next 1 to 3 years, institutional crypto adoption is likely to grow through deeper operational integration, not only through capital allocation. This trend will increase demand for both custodial and non-custodial infrastructure, with non-custodial models becoming increasingly valuable for institutions that need control, security, and scalable governance.
Vaultody is positioned at the center of this shift, enabling institutions across diverse industries to adopt crypto and blockchain technology securely, efficiently, and with the operational controls required for institutional scale.
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