Nearly 90% of large businesses are embracing tokenized cash to speed up payments: DBS

According to a survey conducted by DBS, nearly 90% of large businesses have adopted or are testing tokenized cash to streamline cash management and cross-border payments. The study, which polled 422 business and finance leaders across 11 markets, found that 88% of respondents either deployed the technology at scale or had limited live use in selected markets. Only 12% were still exploring the technology or not using it.

Stablecoins were the most commonly used instrument for tokenized cash, adopted by 63% of those surveyed. Tokenized deposits and tokenized money market funds followed, with 53% and 52% of respondents, respectively, using or planning to adopt these instruments. Participants in the survey reported various benefits from adopting tokenized cash, with 71% already experiencing faster real-time cross-border payments or expecting improvements within two years, and 65% reporting the same for treasury liquidity management.

Despite the benefits, respondents cited several challenges. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed wanted banks to provide a single point of access to the tokenized money ecosystem, while 63% sought assistance with pilots and integration. DBS's group head of global transaction services, Lim Soon Chong, noted that fragmentation could add complexities and compliance obligations, warning that the future of money and technology would be shaped by trusted anchors who could orchestrate value movement across multiple networks.