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More than a decade, it has been the concept of money moving on-chains between promise and pause for more than 10 years. Technology was always ahead of behaviour,’ . Trust matured faster than infrastructure grew. In particular, capital (especially institutional capital) favored to observe rather than participate in the ‘s observation.
Summary
It is a behavioral shift (not technical) Infrastructure was ready years ago 2025 when institutions began to ask “how does this fit” instead of “How fast can it go?”
But * slang capital has come quietly Family offices and HNWIs are investing in on-chain assets as long-term infrastructure, not speculative trades and that kind of money sticks.
The 2026 inevitable is based on * Regulation + tokenization Clear rules, real-world asset tokenisation and remittances as a killer use case are turning on-chain money from theory into financial plumbing.
And that is a gap that has started to narrow down,’ . In 2025, the conversation changed subtly but meaningfully by the end of 20 25. While on-chain activity was viewed as a “speculative side-show” and began to be in serious discussions about portfolio construction, asset efficiency (and cross-border value movement) and the development of multi-national investment. Is this the year money meaningfully transitions on-chain as we look at 2026? Not a trend, but an operating layer of global finance.
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What changed in 2025 was behaviour, not technology
But the biggest change in 2025 was a technological innovation shift, not technology. It was behavioural maturity,’ . This is a well captured capture of Bitcoin’s (BTC) evolution, which has been known as Bitcoin. This is now increasingly referred to as a long-duration asset with certain portfolio characteristics, which has been seen almost entirely through the lens of volatility. price cycle, that change in framing matters far more than.
Markets grow when participants start asking better questions. As of 2025, the questions were shifted from “How fast can this grow?” to “What does it fit” with custody and governance as well as Auditibility (and regulation alignment) becoming central themes. That is usually the time when an asset class moves from experimentation to early adoption.
Serious wealth has entered quietly
But one of the more understated developments has been the steady participation of high-net-worth people and family offices in alternative assets such as VDAs, a trend that is being played by many other companies. No loud capitalization has been used for this, however. It has been a careful, structured and incremental . Many of their portfolios are putting a small percentage of the money they have in digital assets, not as an attempt to chase upside but also hedge concentration risk and gain exposure to ‘an parallel financial infrastructure that is mostly unrelated to traditional assets’.
This is because such capital tends to be sticky, so this matters. It moves slowly, but rarely leaves impulsively at random. If the long-term participation is based on what it means when digital assets are treated as an allocation decision rather than a tactical trade. This segment, in 2026, is likely to deepen its engagement; not necessarily by increasing risk but by boosting conviction.
Regulation is not the enemy of on-chain money
This has often been seen as resistance to India’s regulatory tightening, which is a long-standing term for the country’. Realistically it means something more recognition of. If markets are too large for a person to ignore, they regulate market regulation. Long-term perspective Regulation does not impede institutional participation; it is necessary to be a prerequisite for regulation.
But even strict rules (such as a clear rule) allow capital to accurately assess risk. But compliance is far more than the reason for ambiguity deters serious money, as does AmbiguITY. However, as India sharpens its regulatory posture and global frameworks like CARF gain traction, the cost of participating on-chain becomes more predictable. institutions looking for predictability, not permissiveness.
The quiet maturation of assets
Asset maturity is another reason 2026 feels different. The cryptocurrencies are no longer limited to digital assets. But the conversation has also grown into tokenised representations of true value real estate, land and funds (and potentially long-term assets) – all in one form that is considered to be “real life”.
Several announcements in 2025 were made around real estate and land tokenisation of property in India. Similarly, the New York Stock Exchange has announced an exchange that will be trading in tokenized assets with blockchain-based settlements; this is T+1, T+2, and market hours history. Though massive execution across the world may take a long time, these developments are important catalysts for large-scale execution. Tokenisation is not about disruption for its own sake, nor does it involve disruption of the token. It is about raising liquidity, reducing friction and increasing transparency in asset classes that have historically been opaque and inefficient.
It is not going to have a real effect on mass adoption overnight but from selective, compliant use cases where on-chain records provide operational benefits. credibility, that is where s build credibility.
Remittances may be the first true test case
In one area where on-chain money has a clear functional advantage, it is global remittances if there is an area in which the world can be defy of its own value. There are no theoretical advantages here for speed, cost efficiency and transparency; they are measurable consequences of this.
Traditional systems are still slow, expensive and fragmented. With less intermediaries and more traceability, on-chain rails provide a means to move value across borders with greater accuracy. With the development of regulatory clarity, remittances may be among the first mainstream use cases where on-chain money moves from “alternative” to “obvious” as it becomes more common in other mainstream usage. , ” and.
India’s unresolved stablecoin question
India’s position on stablecoins is one critical issue that 2026 will force into sharper focus. In a clear statement, the RBI has supported its position in favor of sovereign digital currency models. Yet globally stablecoins still play a growing role in on-chain liquidity and settlement. India has also reportedly proposed linking BRICS’ digital currencies on the back of CBDCs. Is it true that stablecoin rails will remain global liquidity havens or will the network effects on sovereign rail?
However, in the future India will have to ascribe an even more detailed position (whether through restriction, regulation or selective allowance) to its own words. The ruling is going to determine how India will be able to integrate into global on-chain financial systems. Cross-border capital flows increasingly intersect with digital rails, so avoiding the question may no longer be viable.
So, is 2026 the turning point?
It’s unlikely that 2026 will be remembered as the year money was firmly placed on-chain. But it may be recalled as the year key decisions were made, though. years, the year when on-chain money was no longer considered a possibility and began to be assessed as infrastructure.
This will be a gradual, uneven and heavily controlled shift for . But that is what the evolution of financial systems,’ said . How does this compare to the convergence of behaviour, regulation and asset maturation? capitals follow when those three align, and if they are the same as that of .
But excitement is high and money never goes, where . moves where systems are stable, rules are clear and long-term value is visible. It may not be headline-making, but it could quietly mark the beginning of money finding its place on-chain.
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Manhar Garegrat
Country Head – India & Global Partnerships at Liminal Custody is **Manhar Garegrat, the leader in secure digital asset custody and wallet infrastructure solutions. He has been based in India and has worked on the blockchain and digital asset industry, having led growth and strategic projects at big players like ZebPay, CoinDCX as well as co-founded Panthera Web3 Wallet Suite. In India Manhar is a leader in the growth of Liminal’s presence and strengthening international alliances to support secure, compliant digital asset operations as well as his strong leadership and deep knowledge of crypto regulation, policy and enterprise adoption that has been an important part of manhar’. ** **
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