PwC Goes All-In on Crypto as U.S. Rules Finally Get Clear — Institutions Are Quietly Piling In

PwC’s Crypto Push Gains Momentum as U.S. Regulations Turn Favorable

Clearer Rules Are Accelerating Institutional Adoption of Digital Assets

After years of measured caution, one of the world’s largest professional services firms is moving decisively into the crypto sector. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is accelerating its digital asset strategy, and executives say the shift is being driven by a changing regulatory environment in the United States.

According to PwC US Senior Partner Paul Griggs, the firm’s renewed momentum began to take shape throughout 2025, as Washington softened its stance on cryptocurrencies and began offering long-awaited regulatory clarity. For many institutions, that clarity has become the missing ingredient needed to confidently expand into blockchain-based finance.

Source: Wu Blockchain

For years, regulatory uncertainty and aggressive enforcement actions discouraged traditional firms from fully engaging with crypto. That environment is now changing rapidly.

U.S. Policy Shifts Create a Turning Point for Crypto

A major catalyst arrived on July 18, when President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act (S.1582) into law. The legislation introduced the first comprehensive federal framework for stablecoins in the United States.

Under the new law, both banks and approved nonbank institutions can issue stablecoins, provided they meet strict reserve, transparency, and disclosure requirements. Industry observers widely view the GENIUS Act as a milestone that transforms stablecoins from a regulatory gray area into a clearly governed financial instrument.

Additional momentum followed from proposals by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which aim to streamline approval processes for crypto-related activities and reduce overlapping state-level barriers. These proposals are designed to make it easier for regulated firms to operate across jurisdictions without facing conflicting compliance obligations.

Griggs noted that this combination of legislative and regulatory movement has reshaped how institutions view crypto risk.

“When firms know the rules of the road, confidence follows,” he said, according to reporting cited by hokanews. “That confidence is essential for large-scale institutional adoption.”

Why PwC’s Crypto Expansion Matters

PwC is not just another market participant. As one of the Big Four accounting and consulting firms, its actions often signal broader shifts within traditional finance.

The firm provides audit and assurance services, tax advisory, consulting, and corporate finance solutions to many of the world’s largest banks, asset managers, and corporations. Its deeper involvement in crypto sends a powerful message to the market: digital assets are no longer fringe experiments, but emerging components of mainstream financial infrastructure.

In the aftermath of high-profile failures such as FTX, institutional investors have become far more focused on transparency, governance, and risk management. PwC’s crypto services directly address these concerns by offering audited financial reporting, compliance frameworks, and internal control assessments for blockchain-based assets.

For institutions considering crypto exposure, PwC’s participation helps reduce perceived operational and regulatory risk.

From Early Experiments to a Global Crypto Practice

PwC’s engagement with crypto is not new, but it has evolved significantly.

The firm began exploring blockchain technology as early as 2015 and 2016, researching Bitcoin adoption and testing internal blockchain tools such as its Vulcan platform. At the time, these efforts were largely exploratory.

Today, PwC operates a global digital assets practice spanning more than 30 countries, supported by over 350 specialists. The team works across audits, tax structuring, compliance, and strategic advisory services for crypto-native firms and traditional institutions alike.

Griggs confirmed that demand for crypto-related services has increased steadily, particularly in areas tied to regulatory compliance and institutional-grade reporting.

PwC’s current focus includes:

Stablecoin advisory and compliance frameworks
Blockchain infrastructure and governance
Auditing tokenized real-world assets, including bonds, investment funds, and commodities

Tokenization Emerges as the Next Institutional Frontier

One of the fastest-growing areas of interest is tokenization, the process of representing traditional assets on blockchain networks.

According to data from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), pilot projects involving real-world asset tokenization reached an estimated $2.8 billion by 2025. These projects span fixed-income securities, private credit, real estate, and commodities.

Source: BCG

As these pilots move toward full-scale implementation, institutions require trusted third parties to validate reserves, audit smart contracts, and ensure compliance with financial reporting standards. PwC’s expanded crypto practice positions the firm to play a central role in that transition.

Industry analysts note that tokenization could dramatically reshape capital markets by improving settlement efficiency, reducing costs, and expanding access to traditionally illiquid assets.

Regulatory Clarity Drives Institutional Confidence

PwC’s expansion reflects a broader transformation underway across traditional finance.

Clearer regulatory guidance has prompted hedge funds, asset managers, and pension funds to reassess their crypto strategies. According to surveys cited by hokanews, more than 55% of traditional hedge funds reported some level of crypto exposure in 2025, up from 47% the previous year.

Other industry research suggests that 76% of global investors plan to increase their digital asset allocations, with nearly 60% expecting to allocate more than 5% of assets under management to crypto-related investments over time.

As regulation stabilizes, institutions are increasingly viewing blockchain technology as complementary to existing financial systems rather than disruptive.

A Bridge Between Wall Street and Web3

PwC’s renewed crypto push highlights a critical trend: the convergence of traditional finance and decentralized technology.

Rather than replacing legacy systems, blockchain is increasingly being integrated into them. Accounting firms, banks, and regulators are now working together to establish standards that allow innovation to scale responsibly.

For PwC, this moment represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. By providing trusted advisory and assurance services, the firm helps ensure that digital asset markets develop with transparency, accountability, and institutional-grade safeguards.

As more Big Four firms follow a similar path, PwC’s expansion may serve as a blueprint for how traditional finance can engage with crypto without sacrificing trust or regulatory compliance.

Conclusion

PwC’s accelerating crypto strategy underscores how far the industry has come. Once sidelined by uncertainty, digital assets are now moving toward mainstream acceptance as regulatory clarity improves and institutional demand grows.

With clearer U.S. rules, rising interest in tokenization, and stronger compliance frameworks, firms like PwC are helping shape the next phase of digital finance. The result may be a financial system where blockchain technology and traditional institutions coexist, reinforcing each other rather than competing.

As crypto matures, credibility, structure, and scale are becoming just as important as innovation. PwC’s growing role suggests that the era of cautious observation is ending, and the age of institutional participation has begun.

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