Fintech benchmarks – the latest data and analysis
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Fintech Benchmarks 2026 report – the digital asset race
Benchmarks highlight divergent views on CBDC, stablecoins and tokenisation
The Fintech Benchmarks 2026 explore how central banks are positioning themselves in the race between new forms of digital assets, public and private. Two in three central banks expect CBDC to be “widely adopted” in their jurisdiction in the next five to 10 years, despite CBDCs being a divisive political issue in around a fifth of jurisdictions. Meanwhile, half expect stablecoins to be widely used – and the proportion rises among the central banks without a mandate to issue CBDC.
Charts
Digital money adoption
Overall, more jurisdictions expect to see central bank digital currency widely circulated in the next 5–10 than private forms of digital money. But where central banks lack a legal mandate to issue CBDC, the picture changes and stablecoins are more often seen as being set for wide adoption.
For the full breakdown, use the benchmarking service’s interactive charts to explore the data.
Model banks analysis – Fintech 2026
Explore key differences between central banks across economy groups
Fintech data
View the full breakdown of responses to the Fintech Benchmarks.
Fintech Benchmarks 2026 – model banks analysis
Data breakdowns reveal divergent approaches to CBDC, fintech staffing and AI adoption
Fintech Benchmarks 2026 – executive summary
Benchmarks shed light on the race between different digital assets, public and private
Fintech Benchmarks 2026 report – the digital asset race
Benchmarks highlight divergent views on CBDC, stablecoins and tokenisation
Less than half of central banks engaged in tokenisation work
Respondents widely consider bonds for tokenisation, among other asset class
Central banks divided over stablecoin impact on US debt demand
Respondents offer different views on adoption paths and market dynamics
Fintech Benchmarks 2026 Charts
Take a deep dive into the Fintech Benchmarks charts, which have just been released for 2026
Two-thirds of central banks predict CBDC adoption in 5–10 years
Stablecoin launches seen as more likely by authorities without CBDC mandate
Most circulating stablecoins pegged to the greenback
Jurisdictions with stablecoins in use are largely high and upper-middle income countries
Financial stability seen as top risk from private digital money
Concerns differ somewhat by region
Majority of CBDCs designed to be domestic only
But a fifth of central banks are working on multi-currency CBDCs
Central banks report 28 operational bitcoin ATMs on average
Jurisdictions with larger institutions have the most machines
CBDCs politicised in one in five jurisdictions
Public and private sectors mostly concerned about privacy of digital currencies