The narrative of institutional adoption has evolved from theoretical interest to tangible infrastructure, with DBS Bank—the second most profitable bank globally—leading the charge in Asia. During a fireside chat with Bitwise, DBS executive Evy Theunis revealed a critical shift in client behavior: 2023 was a year of accumulation, but 2025 has become a year of active trading and diversification. Most notably, Theunis disclosed that Solana has surfaced as the primary asset requested by the bank’s B2B2C clients looking to expand beyond the traditional Bitcoin and Ethereum pairing.

This demand signals a maturing mental model among sophisticated investors. Theunis framed the distinction between Ethereum and Solana not as a winner-take-all battle, but as a technology sector allocation similar to "Apple versus Microsoft." For family offices and private banks in Singapore and the broader Asian market, Solana is no longer viewed as a speculative bet, but as a necessary component of a diversified digital asset portfolio. This aligns with Bitwise’s observation that wirehouses and global banks are pressing forward with product approvals regardless of short-term price volatility.

Beyond asset allocation, DBS is aggressively upgrading the plumbing of institutional finance. The bank confirmed a new partnership with J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys to build an interoperability framework for tokenized deposits, bridging the gap between permissioned banking ledgers and public blockchains. Furthermore, DBS announced plans to integrate Franklin Templeton’s Benji token and Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, specifically to explore complex financial workflows like repurchase agreements (repos) and collateral management. These moves suggest that institutions are preparing to use digital assets for operational liquidity, not just store-of-value.

The "Asia Premium" remains a leading indicator for global trends. According to Theunis, Asian clients—particularly family offices—are treating digital assets as a standard portfolio allocation rather than a novelty. With the Bitwise Solana ETF (BSOL) and similar products smoothing the on-ramp, the infrastructure is now catching up to the capital, setting the stage for Solana to become a staple in institutional holdings alongside Bitcoin.