Crypto’s mainstream moment has arrived, say industry leaders speaking at Consensus Miami

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Crypto’s mainstream moment has arrived, say industry leaders speaking at Consensus Miami Executives from Binance, Revolut and Circle say crypto is evolving beyond speculation into the financial infrastructure powering payments, remittances and broader global access. By Will Canny , AI Boost | Edited by Nikhilesh De May 6, 2026, 10:17 p.m. 1 min read Make preferred on Crypto’s mainstream moment has arrived, industry leaders say. (CoinDesk) What to know : Crypto leaders speaking at Consensus Miami said the industry has moved from speculative hype to real-world utility and infrastructure. Retail and institutional adoption are accelerating simultaneously, fueled by regulation, ETFs and stablecoins. The next challenge is reducing friction and making onboarding seamless for mainstream users. What was once viewed as a speculative fringe movement is rapidly becoming part of the world’s financial plumbing, according to executives from Binance, Revolut and Circle (CRCL) speaking at Consensus Miami on Wednesday. “We were in the Prohibition era,” said Rachel Conlan, chief marketing officer at Binance. “Now we are in the infrastructure phase.” Conlan said crypto is evolving beyond trading into functional everyday use cases and is “on route to becoming the fabric of everyday society.” That shift is increasingly visible in consumer finance. Mazen ElJundi, global business head of investments at Revolut, said crypto’s narrative has moved from speculation toward “real-life utility and scaling.” Revolut, which operates in more than 40 countries and serves over 75 million customers, now integrates crypto into a broader suite of banking services including remittances and stablecoin usage. “Crypto is about banking without borders,” he said. At Circle, SVP of marketing Tim Queenan said institutions are increasingly exploring how to move core financial infrastructure onchain. “The infrastructure should be boring,” he said. “What you build on top of it is what’s interesting.” Queenan pointed to stablecoins becoming so embedded in payments that many users no longer even think of themselves as crypto users. The panelists said institutional momentum, from exchange traded fund (ETF) approvals to major asset managers putting money onchain, is reinforcing retail adoption globally. But challenges remain. Conlan said the industry still needs to reduce friction and make onboarding easier. Read more: Crypto ETFs go mainstream as traditional finance locks in Institutional Adoption Crypto News Consensus Miami 2026 AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards . For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy . More For You Reid Hoffman says NFTs may make a comeback as AI agents strain online identity By Jeffrey Albus | Edited by Nikhilesh De 12 minutes ago The Greylock partner and LinkedIn co-founder said autonomous agents will need crypto-based trust systems to transact across the open internet. What to know : Reid Hoffman, partner at Greylock and co-founder of LinkedIn, told the audience at Consensus that the online world needs a better identity layer as the internet becomes increasingly populated by autonomous AI agents. Hoffman said he recently purchased a CryptoPunk because questions about online identity are at the center of... Read full story Latest Crypto News Bitcoin’s post-quantum migration will be harder than Taproot and needs to start now, Project Eleven CEO says 3 minutes ago Reid Hoffman says NFTs may make a comeback as AI agents strain online identity 12 minutes ago Spot Bitcoin ETFs solved access, but custody, advisors and plumbing still lag, panelists say 20 minutes ago U.S. Bitcoin Reserve update coming in 'next few weeks," White House adviser says 33 minutes ago White House targets July 4 for Clarity Act passage, says crypto adviser Patrick Witt 1 hour ago Dominance of Tether and Circle is a net bad for stablecoins, says Bridge executive 1 hour ago Top Stories Eric Trump takes shot at JPMorgan rethinking bitcoin after 'crapping' on asset 4 hours ago Bullish’s Equiniti deal could remake it into a tokenization powerhouse, Clear Street says 10 hours ago Bitcoin moves above $82,000 while ZEC and DASH post double-digit rallies 11 hours ago Morgan Stanley brings crypto trading with lower fees than rivals 9 hours ago Consensus Miami Day 2: Real-time coverage and highlights from on the ground 7 hours ago Crypto derivatives have converged with Wall Street. Equity perps could soon prove it. 14 hours ago