Ripple (XRP)’s survey of 160 finance leaders in Mexico and Brazil found stronger stablecoin adoption intent, but regulatory clarity remains the main hurdle.

Stablecoins are emerging as the preferred digital-asset rail for parts of Latin America, with Mexico and Brazil standing out in Ripple (XRP)’s survey of 160 finance leaders across the two markets. The company said the region showed the strongest intent to adopt digital assets of any region it surveyed, but also the widest gap between demand and the ability to get products live because of regulation and technical constraints.

In Ripple’s January-February 2026 study, 69% of respondents in Mexico and Brazil said they are using or plan to use stablecoins for payments within two years, compared with 54% globally. The same share, 69%, said they are using or plan to use stablecoin treasury management, while 66% said the same for stablecoin issuance and 63% for regulated digital asset custody. Ripple said these figures combine current users with institutions planning adoption within one to two years, so they are not current nationwide adoption rates.

The survey found that 48% of financial institutions named regulatory clarity their top concern, 39% of all respondents cited compliance complexity as the main barrier, and 40% of financial institutions pointed to security and safekeeping. Among fintechs, 28% said they lack the technical skills to build digital-asset products in-house, compared with 7% in North America, according to Ripple. The company also said 65% of respondents would rather partner than build and 61% preferred a single provider over a stack of specialists.

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