Institutional adoption of digital assets is no longer a question of whether organisations should participate, but how they can do so within the governance, risk and regulatory frameworks they already rely on.
That was the message from Jonathan Patterson, Chief Operating Officer, EMEA at Komainu, who spoke at the Capital Pioneer Digital Assets Summit 2026 as part of the session, Interoperability: The Missing Link in Digital Markets.
According to Patterson, institutional attitudes towards digital assets have shifted significantly over the past year as market infrastructure has matured and digital assets have become increasingly integrated with traditional financial markets.
“The conversation has moved decisively from whether institutions should engage with digital assets to how they can participate in a way that meets the standards they already apply around governance, risk and regulatory oversight,” he said.
While interest in digital assets continues to grow, Patterson believes the biggest challenge facing institutions is no longer the technology itself but operational integration.
“The question is not simply whether the technology works, but whether it can be integrated into the operating models institutions already rely on,” he explained.
Interoperability, he argued, is critical to ensuring digital assets can function effectively within existing financial systems.
Custody also remains a key consideration for traditional financial institutions entering the market.
Patterson described regulated custody infrastructure as fundamental to building trust, providing institutions with the governance, oversight and operational resilience they expect from financial market infrastructure.
However, he noted that custody must evolve beyond simple safekeeping.
“Institutions want their assets secure but still usable,” Patterson said, pointing to growing demand for custody solutions that support staking, collateral management, settlement and tokenisation while maintaining institutional-grade controls.
Tokenisation continues to be one of the industry’s most discussed themes, with Patterson highlighting growing activity in tokenised funds and other financial assets where blockchain infrastructure can improve settlement, liquidity and collateral management.
He expects the distinction between traditional and digital markets to become increasingly blurred as more assets move on-chain.
Looking ahead, Patterson believes automation, transparency and interoperability will be among the most important drivers of institutional digital asset adoption.
“As institutions increase their participation in digital assets, they will need to connect blockchain-based activity with the systems, controls and workflows that already underpin traditional financial markets,” he said.
Reflecting on his appearance at DAS 2026, Patterson said the industry’s focus must now turn towards operational usability.
“The next phase of adoption will focus on making digital assets operationally usable within institutional financial markets, while maintaining the security, governance and resilience that those institutions expect.”
