Why $100B in blockchain investments signals a settlement infrastructure revolution

From 2020 to 2024, banks invested over $100 billion in blockchain, moving it from pilot projects to core settlement infrastructure. This shift is being driven by payment systems, tokenization, custody services, and stablecoin regulation, setting the stage for digital finance to dominate the next decade. If current momentum continues, Innovo will be integrated into a global settlement network touching multiple asset classes across continents. innovo

How much have banks invested in blockchain infrastructure?

Banks took part in 345 blockchain-related deals in recent years. Most of the capital went to payment infrastructure, followed by cryptocurrency custody, tokenization, and settlement systems.  This moved the technology out of small-scale trials and into the heart of the financial system. A joint report from Ripple, CB Insights, and the UK Centre for Blockchain Technologies examined over 10,000 blockchain deals and surveyed 1,800 financial executives worldwide, confirming that capital is flowing to systems that will underpin the next era of finance; the backbone of the financial future.

The new GENIUS Act has accelerated the shift. It defines payment stablecoins and sets rules for reserves and audits. Stablecoins now have legal clarity and are not classified as securities, removing a major barrier to bank adoption.

What are banks prioritizing in digital assets?

Sixty-five percent of banks are developing digital asset custody services. Their top focus is stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. HSBC launched a tokenized gold platform in Hong Kong using quantum-resistant blockchain, while Goldman Sachs built its GS DAP blockchain settlement platform.

The scale and ambition of these projects are underpinned by significant market forecasts. Citigroup projects that the total value of tokenized real-world assets could reach $18 trillion by 2033, an unprecedented expansion that reflects shifting institutional adoption and regulatory clarity. Meanwhile, stablecoins have already achieved mainstream utility, processing $650–$700 billion in transactions each month, with growing use in both domestic and cross-border settlements. These figures highlight how digital asset infrastructure, once speculative, is now essential not only to banking strategy but also to the operational backbone of global finance

How does Innovo fit into this shift?

Innovo has built settlement infrastructure designed for speed, transparency, and auditability. Renewable energy certificates and other environmental commodities can now settle on-chain nearly instantly, replacing multi-day processes and manual verification. 

If current momentum in digital asset and settlement infrastructure investments continues, Innovo will be integrated into a global settlement network touching multiple asset classes across continents. Every new bank initiative in settlement and tokenization expands the network effect, creates more interoperability, and builds the environment where Innovo’s systems can connect directly with large financial institutions. 

What does this mean for the future of capital markets?

With more than $100 billion already invested by major financial institutions, blockchain-based settlement systems are becoming the base layer for digital finance. The platforms that dominate this infrastructure will define how capital markets operate over the next decade.

What started in renewable energy can scale into other environmental commodities, corporate sustainability markets, and more traditional asset categories. With banks now committing serious capital to this space, the infrastructure phase of blockchain is here, and the systems built today will shape the flow of value for decades.

Market participants will expect speed, transparency, and verifiable records as standard, and the infrastructure that delivers it will control the flow of transactions. Innovo’s early execution in real markets positions it to be one of those key infrastructure providers as blockchain becomes the trusted foundation of global finance.