DBS survey shows businesses accelerate tokenised money adoption globally

Traders Union
All News
Crypto
DBS survey on tokenised money

Highlights

DBS survey of 422 global business and finance leaders finds about two-thirds of respondents have adopted tokenised money at scale or in specific locations.
Stablecoins top tokenised instrument adoption at 63%, followed by tokenised deposits at 53% and tokenised money market funds at 52%.
Over half of Australian and UK respondents consider using Chinese renminbi for trade settlement in the next one to two years amid RMB appreciation and internationalisation.

Survey findings point to broader corporate use

As reported by Reuters, the comments come after DBS surveyed 422 global business and finance leaders from organisations with annual revenue above $500 million across 11 markets, including the U.S., UK, Australia, China and Germany. The survey, conducted between June and July, indicates that adoption is moving beyond experimentation for many companies.

About two-thirds of respondents say their businesses have either fully deployed tokenised money at scale or started using it in selected locations. Stablecoins are the most widely adopted tokenised instrument at 63%, followed by tokenised deposits at 53% and tokenised money market funds at 52%.

Lim Soon Chong, DBS group head of global transaction services, says the bank sees significant benefits in stablecoins. He says stablecoins offer better fungibility across payment intermediaries, not just across banks, and are less cumbersome from a permissioning standpoint.

Regional trade ambitions and renminbi settlement

The survey identifies Southeast Asia as the top destination for businesses seeking expansion into new markets, followed by Australia and New Zealand, with India ranking third. The findings suggest tokenised money is increasingly tied to regional trade growth plans rather than being limited to treasury innovation alone.

More than half of respondents in both Australia and the UK say they are considering using the Chinese renminbi for trade settlement over the next one to two years. DBS says the renminbi's recent appreciation is making settlement in the currency more attractive to Chinese exporters, which are increasingly offering better commercial terms for transactions denominated in renminbi.

Lim says Chinese authorities are clearly pushing the internationalisation of the renminbi, and he expects that trend to strengthen. For banks and corporates, that points to rising interest in tokenised payment and settlement tools that can support new currency and market flows.

In our earlier article on AI agents adoption among large U.S. companies, we reviewed survey results showing many CEOs report efficiency and growth gains, even as only a small share currently view the technology as truly transformational. The piece also highlighted how hiring, retraining, and sustained investment in AI infrastructure are central as firms work through the deeper process and data changes needed for wider rollout.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.