The integration process of Wall Street and traditional financial institutions with cryptocurrencies is no longer just theoretical, but has now been put into practice, according to the common opinion of industry representatives. Managers of Ondo Finance, Bitstamp and Babylon Labs under the umbrella of Robinhood, who attended the Consensus 2026 event held in Miami, stated that corporate interest in crypto has increased noticeably, but pointed out that the expected spread is still not realized at the expected pace.
Corporate interest and new partnerships
Speaking at the panel, Ondo Finance President Ian De Bode emphasized the importance of the recent agreements made with Broadridge and the Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation (DTCC). These collaborations pave the way for digitalization of securities on blockchain and blockchain-based stakeholder voting. As institutions overcome their past cautious attitudes towards crypto, they have begun to prioritize technology in financial solutions.
Robinhood’s representative Nicola White said that there was a significant change in mentality in the negotiations with banks. According to White, while what blockchain was was discussed until two years ago, the main focus is now on how to integrate crypto into banking systems.
Advantages offered by crypto infrastructure
All names on the panel stated that crypto offers significant advantages over traditional finance, especially in terms of transaction speed and market accessibility. De Bode stated that Ondo offers options such as instant trading and daily returns on tokenized treasury products, including weekends. He stated that such applications are not yet possible in classical money markets.
“That in itself is a pretty striking value proposition to many in the financial world,” he said.
According to the panelists, although the potential for these developments is high, current regulations and outdated financial infrastructures restrict institutions from quickly adapting. White stated that banks especially expect a clear regulatory framework in the crypto product development process.
Division in the global market and outlook on the future
Babylon Labs manager Boris Alergant stated that institutions are now focusing not only on Bitcoin’s price performance but also on different topics such as capital efficiency. Babylon Labs stated that it has developed products that enable investors to borrow against Bitcoin collateral by collateralizing their assets without the need for central control or spiral assets.
The panel also brought up the divergence between the crypto ecosystem outside the United States and regulated practices in the American market. De Bode stated that decentralized finance outside the US continues to encourage innovative projects, but American banks are turning to more controlled, permissioned blockchain systems.
“I do not think that all applications developed offshore (outside America) will be accepted in the same way in the USA,” it was evaluated.
Despite all these difficulties, the speakers at the panel stated that they foresee that institutional funds and crypto-specific liquidity will converge in the coming period and the two systems will merge in the long term.
