The opening keynote speech at Capital Pioneer’s Digital Assets Summit, on 21 September 2026, highlighted how institutional participation in digital assets is growing amid clearer regulation and maturing infrastructure.
The sector is now at a crossroads, with some organisations already actively investing in product development, infrastructure and regulatory engagement. Others remain on the sidelines, waiting for further regulatory developments or stronger market signals.
Joe McGrath, CEO of Rhotic Media, said the momentum was already visible across the market: “Liquidity is expanding. Institutional participation is increasing, and market infrastructure continues to mature.”
He added that the scale of this progress is not always obvious from the headlines surrounding the sector.
Over the past year, the UK has moved towards a broader regulatory framework for cryptoassets and digital market infrastructure, although innovation will still need to take place within robust frameworks that support institutional participation and market integrity.
The keynote speech also distinguished institutional digital assets from some of the wider controversies surrounding cryptocurrencies, pointing instead to work underway across tokenised assets, digital securities, settlement innovation and regulated blockchain applications.
This progress is also becoming increasingly tangible in areas such as tokenised assets, digital market infrastructure and digital gilt issuance.
“These are not theoretical concepts. They are becoming reality,” McGrath said.
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This article was written by Rhotic Media‘s James Hetherington.
