Talent Shortage Is an Adoption Barrier for 42% of Financial Institutions

A shortage of specialized talent was identified as an obstacle to digital asset adoption by 42% of surveyed financial institutions, highlighting the operational challenges banks face as they build related services.

Fifty-five percent of banks said institution-grade infrastructure and operational support would be key to advancing adoption. The findings distinguish staffing and operational capabilities from the budget commitments banks are making for digital asset infrastructure.

Eighty-eight percent of banks have allocated or plan to allocate budgets for digital asset infrastructure in 2026. In addition, 68% of financial institutions plan to work with crypto-native companies to expand trading, custody and tokenization activities.

An industry estimate put the share of integration work involving internal systems and regulatory compliance at 80% to 85%. The estimate was not presented as a survey result.

Banks pursuing stablecoin and tokenized deposit services need relevant technology and expertise in banking-system integration, compliance management and operations. Those requirements add implementation and staffing demands as financial institutions develop digital asset capabilities.