PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the world’s biggest accounting and consulting firms, is stepping up its push into crypto after years of caution, betting that a friendlier mood in Washington and clearer rules on digital assets will draw more “blue-chip” clients into the sector, Paul Griggs, PwC’s U.S. senior partner and CEO, told the Financial Times.
Griggs said a change of leadership at key regulators and progress on legislation had persuaded the Big Four firm that crypto markets are moving into a more predictable phase. He pointed in particular to new frameworks around stablecoins, such as the Genius Act, saying they would “create more conviction” around that product and its asset class, as tokenization continues to develop.
The shift comes as Donald Trump and U.S. lawmakers have embraced digital assets as part of a broader push to promote innovation in financial services, supporting a market that was clouded for years by regulatory ambiguity and high-profile disasters. Griggs said those political signals, coupled with ongoing rulemaking, had helped reduce the perception that crypto was off limits for large professional services groups.
Griggs said the change in tone from Washington had given PwC more room to talk to clients about how they might use the technology. The firm has been pitching the idea that stablecoins can improve the efficiency of payment systems, even as it expands audit, consulting and tax advice linked to digital assets.
He stressed that PwC would only expand at a pace it could support, saying the firm was not prepared to chase growth without the right expertise in place. The goal, he said, is to be able to do the full range of work in crypto across assurance and consulting wherever United States rules allow.
Tokenization and stablecoins are seen inside PwC as particular areas of opportunity, according to Griggs. He expects more clients to explore stablecoin-based payment systems and to look at putting traditional assets on blockchains, arguing that the infrastructure is moving beyond the experimental stage and that a clearer rule book will pull more large institutions in.
Clearer U.S. Rules Bring Big Four Scale to Crypto
PwC is one of the most influential professional services groups in the world, advising multinational companies, banks and governments on audit, tax, deals and strategy. Its seal of approval carries weight in boardrooms and with regulators, giving it a huge role in how capital flows and corporate risks are assessed well beyond the digital asset market.
Despite playing it cautious on crypto for years, the firm has already built a meaningful presence in the sector, as the company works with a broad mix of clients, from traditional financial institutions testing digital asset strategies to specialist exchanges.
PwC’s decision to engage more deeply in crypto signals that it sees digital assets entering a new phase of growth. As changes in policy and supervision in Washington reshape how major financial groups weigh the risks, the firm’s shift suggests these assets are now viewed as too significant to ignore, as they evolve into infrastructure that will shape how money and securities move in the future.
Read More: FDIC Prepares First Wave of New Genius Act Rules for Stablecoins
