B. Riley: Digital assets shifting from speculation to financial infrastructure

Investment bank B. Riley has stated that digital assets will reach a significant turning point in 2026, transitioning from speculative instruments to substantive financial infrastructure as regulations mature and traditional financial institutions increasingly adopt blockchain technology. According to CoinDesk, the bank explained that a combination of factors is changing not only how digital assets are traded but also how they are used. These factors include clearer stablecoin regulations, a rise in the tokenization of real-world assets, enhanced governance frameworks, and improved interoperability between bank ledgers and public blockchains. B. Riley added that due to these shifts, digital asset treasury companies (DATCOs) are moving beyond simply acquiring tokens to adopt operations-focused business models capable of generating sustainable revenue.