- Ethereum is gaining momentum as 35 institutions implement blockchain projects including tokenized assets, AI finance, and DeFi in the coming months.
- Kraken, Fidelity, Santander, and Google are among the major companies currently pushing the boundaries of cross-border payments and stablecoins based on Ethereum.
Ethereum is becoming the blockchain of choice for global financial institutions, with 35 projects across asset management, payments, and DeFi launched in the past few months.
xStocks by Kraken is one of the most important services. application. This will allow users to tokenize US stocks and ETFs as ERC-20 tokens. Kraken allows eligible customers to deposit and withdraw fully collateralized stocks on Ethereum. Ondo Finance has also introduced Ondo Global Markets, which includes access to over 100 tokenized stocks and ETFs in the US, as well as DeFi lending and trading.
Ethereum is the first choice for financial institutions worldwide.
Adoption has accelerated over the past few months. Here are 35 stories about how institutions are building Ethereum.
1/ @krakenfx launches xStocks on Ethereum, issuing tokenized versions of popular US stocks…
— Ethereum (@ethereum) January 19, 2026
In addition, China AMC, Asia’s largest asset management company, also operates a Select USD money market fund on Ethereum, offering high-quality 24/7 settlement of USD short-term instruments. In the US, Fidelity has introduced the Fidelity Digital Interest Token (FDIT). This allows customers to gain the speed of on-chain payments without losing the predictability of traditional financial products.
Ethereum’s role in tokenization, payments, and DeFi proliferation
Many financial institutions use Ethereum blockchain To carry out cross-border payments. UBS, PostFinance, Sygnum and the Swiss Bankers Association have successfully tested a deposit token on Ethereum, making cross-bank payments legally binding on the open blockchain.
Santander Open Bank also opened Ethereum Trade services in Germany. American Express also released Amex Passport, a blockchain-based travel stamp minted as an NFT based on Ethereum Layer 2 (L2).
As the Ethereum ecosystem news portal explained, SWIFT and more than 30 banks are working to develop a blockchain ledger built on Ethereum infrastructure to support tokenized assets and cross-border 24/7 payments.
In terms of asset management for institutional investors, as before, BlackRock reportedhas filed to launch a staking ETF that will allow investors to claim Ethereum native staking rewards. In Europe, Amundi, the largest asset management company, has tokenized its Euro Money Market Fund on Ethereum via mainnet, making it possible to settle and create Euro-denominated capital 24/7.
Other groups such as BNY Mellon and Securitize have also launched tokenized AAA-rated CLO funds on Ethereum, which marks a major milestone towards the tokenization of traditional credit assets. At the same time, fintech company Ant Group, which owns Alipay, introduced JovayNetwork. layer 2 It is based on institutional tokenization on Ethereum, further extending the impact of blockchain into the institutional space.
Ethereum in cross-border payments and stablecoin innovation
In addition to financial institutions, Ethereum is playing an important role in stablecoin development and cross-border payments. Sony Bank plans to debut a USD-pegged stablecoin on Ethereum Layer 2 Soniam later this year.
In Africa, M-Pesa, the continent’s largest mobile money platform, partnered with the ADI Foundation to bring over 60 million users on-chain via Ethereum infrastructure, enabling instant cross-border payments and stablecoin transactions.
Despite the optimism, Ethereum’s price is facing some volatility. According to To crypto analyst Ted Pillows, Ethereum The price has fallen below $3,200 We are testing support levels and are testing the following support zones $3,000～$3,050. However, if buyers intervene and the Ethereum price sustains above this level, the Ethereum price may try to move higher. $3,400.
$Ethereum It lost the $3,200 support level.
The next support zone is around the $3,000-$3,050 level, which is most likely to be retested.
after that, Ethereum The bid signals buyer intervention, so there could be some pushback. pic.twitter.com/dd1k561voK
— Ted (@TedPillows) January 20, 2026
