2026-01-20 05:34:44

By 2026, the stablecoin sector is undergoing a crucial transformation—shifting from a transaction intermediary in the crypto market to becoming the foundational infrastructure of the global financial system. Insights from over 20 industry veterans indicate that stablecoins will play a role similar to the TCP/IP protocol, serving as the fundamental channel for cross-border capital flows. Based on current trends, stablecoins are expected to account for 10%-15% of cross-border payments by the end of the year, with annual transaction volumes potentially exceeding $5 trillion.

The numbers are straightforward: the total global market cap of stablecoins has surpassed $300 billion, with annual transaction volumes reaching twice that of Visa. This is no longer just a numbers game within the crypto community—traditional giants like Walmart and Amazon are actively developing their own stablecoins, and regulatory frameworks in places like Hong Kong are gradually taking shape. The question is no longer whether stablecoins will become widespread, but how they will do so.

Why now? Because the foundational infrastructure has already been established. The core advantages of stablecoins—real-time settlement, low costs, and traceability—require a sufficiently mature technological backbone to support them. This is not just a matter of blockchain performance; more critically, it’s about whether they can interface with real-world payment scenarios. Purely on-chain applications have reached a ceiling; the next step is to break into everyday financial services.

The potential of stablecoins lies here: as a key tool for payments, clearing, settlement, and the reconstruction of financial infrastructure. But the prerequisite is that the technological architecture, ecological applications, and compliance frameworks are all in place.

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MetaverseVagabond

· 5h ago

Walmart and Amazon have both entered the market. This time, it's really going to take off.

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LowCapGemHunter

· 5h ago

Walmart and Amazon are both getting involved now, this time it's really coming.

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BanklessAtHeart

· 5h ago

Really? Visa's transaction volume doubled, even Walmart has entered... This time feels different. --- A 5 trillion scale sounds impressive, but I'm just worried it might be another passing trend. --- The analogy of TCP/IP protocol was excellent, but how will we pass the compliance framework hurdle? --- Traditional giants are already on board, and we're still here watching the excitement haha. --- The issue isn't whether it will be popular, but how the central banks of various countries think—this is the real challenge. --- Can we really capture 10% of cross-border payments by the end of the year? I remain skeptical. --- The technical architecture is in place, but what about ecological applications? Achieving all three dimensions simultaneously isn't easy. --- The on-chain ceiling is well said, but the gap with real financial scenarios is still quite large. --- Breaking through a 300 billion market cap is impressive, but from another perspective, the global financial scale is still just a small fraction. --- With giants like Walmart and Amazon entering, and central banks around the world working on CBDCs, will the position of stablecoins be squeezed out?

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tokenomics_truther

· 5h ago

Walmart and Amazon have both entered the market; this time it might really be not just hype. --- The analogy with TCP/IP is good, but the real bottleneck still comes down to those three dimensions. --- 5 trillion yuan scale? That number is a bit exaggerated; we’ll see how it looks by the end of this year. --- The key is whether the regulatory framework in Hong Kong can truly be implemented; otherwise, it’s all talk. --- I need to verify the data that the transaction volume of Visa is twice as much; it feels a bit suspicious. --- Now, those entering the stablecoin market are betting on a big breakthrough. I’ll take a slower approach. --- Is the compliance framework in place? I feel like it’s still a long way off. --- The ceiling for on-chain applications has been mentioned before; the problem is, are everyday payment scenarios really that easy to integrate? --- Breaking through a market cap of 300 billion yuan is not the end goal; the question is, can it stay stable? --- Let’s wait until traditional finance truly embraces stablecoins; for now, it’s still an experimental field.

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BearMarketMonk

· 5h ago

Walmart and Amazon are both moving, this time it's really different --- The analogy of TCP/IP is pretty good, but will the compliance hurdle go smoothly... --- The number of 5 trillion sounds great, but I don't know when it will actually be in place --- By the way, the annual transaction volume is twice that of Visa, and it hasn't even become widespread yet. Once it does, what then? --- Having the infrastructure in place is real, but the key depends on how each country's central banks will respond --- Heard last year that there would be an explosion this year, and now it's said to be next year—it's like the wolf is coming --- Stablecoins = Payment Revolution, betting on this is right, just don't want to get cut --- The implementation of the Hong Kong framework is indeed interesting, Asia might really start to move --- Ten years ago, someone claimed the internet finance would be like this, but it's not the same now --- Is it true that the transaction volume is twice that of Visa? Has it been confirmed on-chain?

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TokenAlchemist