An updated edition of the July 15, 2026 article.
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology are moving deeper into the mainstream financial system. What began largely as an alternative asset class centered on bitcoin has broadened into an ecosystem encompassing stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, digital payments, institutional investment products and blockchain-based capital markets.
Against this backdrop, Figure Technology Solutions, Inc. (FIGR – Free Report) , BlackRock, Inc. (BLK – Free Report) and Block, Inc. (XYZ – Free Report) stand out as companies positioned to benefit from participating in different parts of the growing cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem.
Institutional participation is becoming an increasingly important driver. A 2026 Coinbase and EY-Parthenon survey of 351 institutional investors found that nearly three-fourths planned to increase their digital-asset allocations. Two-thirds of respondents already had exposure through spot crypto ETFs or ETPs, while 81% preferred accessing spot crypto through a registered investment vehicle. Meanwhile, 64% of asset managers expressed interest in tokenizing assets, up from 40% a year earlier, and 63% of investors were interested in allocating to tokenized assets.
Stablecoins and tokenized assets are also expanding blockchain’s usefulness beyond cryptocurrency trading. At the end of July 2026, the total stablecoin market capitalization stood at approximately $308 billion, while the value of tokenized assets jumped 11.5% during the month to a record $32.1 billion, according to CoinDesk Data’s latest Stablecoins & Tokenized Assets Report.
The convergence of digital assets with traditional finance could create opportunities across several layers of the ecosystem — from companies building blockchain-native capital markets to asset managers offering regulated crypto products, fintech providers expanding bitcoin payments and semiconductor companies supplying computing technology for advanced cryptography.
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Figure Technology Solutions is emerging as a differentiated way to invest in blockchain adoption through real financial assets, not crypto speculation. Provenance Blockchain underpins its lending and digital-asset ecosystem, while Figure is steadily moving origination, funding, settlement and ownership records onto shared blockchain rails.
The growth engine is Democratized Prime, Figure’s on-chain lend-borrow marketplace. Matched offers reached $530 million by July 31, 2026, while third-party borrowing had risen to about $170 million by Aug. 6. Expansion into auto and SMB loans shows the model can extend beyond home equity.
$YLDS also strengthens Figure’s blockchain ecosystem. The SEC-registered yield-bearing digital asset security reached $628 million in circulation by July-end and can support settlement, collateral and liquidity across Figure’s marketplaces. Wider institutional use could make it an increasingly important funding tool.
This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company is also widening the opportunity through OPEN, its blockchain network for issuing, trading, custody and lending of public equities. Partnerships and planned tokenized listings could broaden Provenance beyond private credit and give Figure exposure to public-market infrastructure.
The pending Kiavi acquisition could add another asset class to Figure’s blockchain rails. As more originators, investors and assets join, deeper liquidity and recurring marketplace fees could strengthen Figure’s long-term growth flywheel. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
BlackRock is turning digital assets from a niche experiment into a scaled distribution channel. Its strategy combines crypto ETPs, tokenized funds and stablecoin reserve management, giving the company ways to earn fees as blockchain finance moves closer to mainstream portfolios.
IBIT remains the centerpiece. With about $60.3 billion in net assets on Aug. 28, it gives investors Bitcoin exposure through brokerage accounts, while ETHA held roughly $8.4 billion. Their scale strengthens BlackRock’s brand, liquidity advantage and institutional reach in crypto.
Tokenization adds a second growth engine. BUIDL, BlackRock’s tokenized Treasury fund, had roughly $2.8 billion and led the tokenized Treasury market by Aug. 31. BlackRock also launched two tokenized money-market products in August, extending regulated cash management onto public blockchains.
Stablecoins widen the opportunity. BlackRock managed $62.3 billion in Circle Reserve Fund assets on Aug. 28, while management sees stablecoins as a bridge between traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure. Rising adoption can deepen demand for reserve management and on-chain liquidity.
The investment thesis for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company is broader than cryptocurrency prices. Management believes digital assets can reach a $500 million revenue business by 2030 and wants BlackRock products inside wallets. If tokenization expands across ETFs, cash and private assets, BlackRock can gain another distribution channel.
Block’s crypto thesis is no longer just about letting people trade bitcoin. The company is building an end-to-end bitcoin stack across Cash App, Square, Bitkey, Proto and Spiral, giving it exposure to payments, self-custody, mining hardware and open-source infrastructure.
Cash App remains the distribution engine. More than 24 million actives have bought bitcoin, while management has intentionally lowered trading fees to become a simpler, cheaper exchange and gain share. USDC transfers now extend Cash App onto open blockchain rails.
Square creates the bigger utility opportunity. Millions of sellers can accept bitcoin over Lightning, while Bitcoin Conversions lets merchants move part of sales into bitcoin. This turns Block from a trading venue into infrastructure connecting consumers, merchants and digital money.
Bitkey adds a self-custody layer without seed-phrase complexity, while Proto targets a concentrated mining-hardware market with modular rigs, replaceable hashboards and free fleet software. Core Scientific’s 2026 contract exit raises execution risk, but Proto’s recurring upgrade model still offers upside.
Block also held 9,117 bitcoins for long-term investment as of June 30, 2026, aligning capital with strategy. With Spiral strengthening Bitcoin’s developer stack and regulation moving toward clearer digital-asset rules, this Zacks Rank #3 company has several paths to monetize adoption, making its blockchain platform increasingly valuable.
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