Karla Barker 
Corporate Finance Embraces Blockchain Technology
Brian Rudick, Chief Strategy Officer at Upexi, believes we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how companies approach their financial operations. The numbers tell part of the story—around $36 billion worth of real-world assets are now tokenized on blockchains, which represents a 160% increase in just the past year. That’s not just theoretical growth; it’s actual movement of private credit, US Treasuries, commodities, and equities onto blockchain networks.
What’s interesting is how quickly this is moving from experimentation to actual deployment. SWIFT, for instance, is building a shared real-time ledger connecting more than 30 global banks. Google Cloud has introduced its Universal Ledger specifically designed for banks and capital markets. And established players like Citigroup, Mastercard, and Visa are already offering or preparing blockchain-powered products for their customers.
I think the timing here matters. Rudick mentioned that this acceleration could really take off if the US passes digital asset market structure legislation. That regulatory clarity would probably remove some of the hesitation companies currently feel about moving more of their financial operations on-chain.
Replacing Outdated Financial Infrastructure
Here’s where Rudick’s perspective gets particularly interesting. He doesn’t think the biggest immediate impact will come from forcing every corporate finance task onto blockchains. Instead, he sees the real opportunity in replacing the outdated infrastructure that underpins modern finance.
“The opportunity for blockchain technology to revolutionize traditional finance is much more around reimagining our currently antiquated financial rails—items like ACH or the credit card issuer networks that were created 50+ years ago and are slow and expensive,” he explained.
That makes sense when you think about it. The current corporate finance system works reasonably well, but the payment rails supporting it are showing their age. Stablecoins offer near-instant and free payments compared to traditional systems. And perhaps more importantly, regulations around stablecoin payments are becoming clearer than rules for on-chain capital raising, which makes adoption easier in the short term.
Still, tokenized assets already mirror what CFOs care about most: cash flow, liquidity, and yield. There are some trade-offs—on-chain liquidity might take time to build, but it can also be available outside traditional market hours. As finance moves more fully on-chain, the benefits seem likely to outweigh these early challenges.
Solana’s Position in On-Chain Finance
When asked which blockchain ecosystem is best positioned for this shift, Rudick pointed decisively to Solana. His reasoning comes down to speed, cost, reliability, and the fact that Solana was purpose-built for this type of financial activity.
“Solana’s North Star is what it calls Internet Capital Markets, where all the world’s assets trade on the same liquidity venue, accessible 24/7 to anyone with an internet connection,” he commented.
Major financial institutions appear to agree with this assessment. Companies like FiServ, Western Union, Société Générale, PayPal, Visa, Franklin Templeton, BlackRock, and Apollo are increasingly using Solana to bring finance on-chain. That institutional adoption suggests this isn’t just theoretical—it’s happening now, and Solana seems to be capturing a significant portion of this emerging market.
What strikes me about this whole situation is how quickly the conversation has shifted from whether blockchain will impact corporate finance to how and where it will have the most significant effects. The infrastructure layer seems to be where the most immediate benefits will materialize, with more complex corporate finance functions following as the ecosystem matures.