stablecoins

ARK Invest's Director of Digital Asset Research, Lorenzo Valente, stated that the number of addresses holding stablecoins has surpassed 300 million for the first time. The Ethereum ecosystem currently accounts for 37% of all stablecoin holding addresses, up from 29% two years ago, with approximately three-quarters coming from L2. He believes that the strategy of expanding adoption through L2 is proving effective and expects tokenized stocks to develop along the same path.Valente also mentioned that if one were to illustrate the dominance of EVM, EVM-compatible chains hold about 94% of stablecoin addresses. It took 8 years for the number of stablecoin holding addresses to reach 300 million, and he anticipates that it could reach 1 billion wallets within 18 months, faster than the existing trend.

On October 24, the Canadian government published the draft "Stablecoin Regulations" in the Canada Gazette. The draft proposes to require regulated stablecoin issuers to allow eligible holders to redeem at face value, without setting a minimum redemption amount, and to complete the redemption process within three business days of receiving the request, with redemption fees not exceeding 1%.If there is insufficient liquidity in the reserve asset market, issuers may limit the daily redemption amount under specific conditions. The draft also requires issuers to maintain at least a 1:1 ratio of qualified reserve assets and prohibits providing interest or returns linked to holding behavior directly or through third parties to holders. The relevant rules are currently in the public consultation phase and are planned to be implemented in the fall of 2027.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has finalized the implementation rules for the GENIUS Act, applicable to licensed stablecoin issuers, foreign issuers under OCC jurisdiction, and certain custodial activities of regulated entities, covering reserve support, redemption, and risk management. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the legislation as a "watershed moment for the U.S. financial industry," comparing it to the National Currency Act of 1863.The final rules do not include provisions for the Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money laundering, and OFAC sanctions, which will be addressed through subsequent rules coordinated with the Treasury Department. The GENIUS Act was signed into law in July 2025, and regulators failed to establish rules by the deadline of July 18, 2026; the Federal Reserve proposed two related rules in September 2026. Both the GENIUS Act and the OCC final rules are set to take effect on January 18, 2027, and the OCC has not yet announced the timeline for accepting issuer applications and exemption requests.

According to CoinDesk, the Swedish central bank is pushing lawmakers to reconsider the necessity of issuing an electronic krona (e-krona), believing that with the development of foreign stablecoins and the digital euro, the use of the Swedish krona in the payment system may face long-term pressure.Per Jansson, the Deputy Governor of the Swedish central bank, stated that if cash becomes further digitized and the Swedish krona lacks a convenient digital form, the local currency may struggle to compete with digital payment tools that can be used across borders. Although the central bank has not yet decided whether to officially issue an electronic krona, it hopes to initiate preparations at the legislative level as soon as possible, as the related institutional and technical work is expected to take at least 5 years.

According to local media Digital Asset in South Korea, the South Korean government and central bank are promoting amendments to the country's foreign exchange market law to regulate stablecoins as a payment tool.South Korea is currently formulating the "Basic Law on Digital Assets," which will establish an exchange licensing system and formulate rules for the issuance of stablecoins.

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Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated in an interview that he is not particularly focused on the short-term price performance of Bitcoin, but is more optimistic about the digital dollar used for payments and the AI agent economy. Allaire mentioned that the digital dollar can be used for payments, transactions, lending, and investment, and that AI agents will participate in more economic activities in the future, potentially further driving the demand for digital dollars and related blockchain infrastructure, although he did not provide specific data on the growth of this demand.On the regulatory front, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the United States is formulating rules related to the GENIUS Act. The proposal requires stablecoin issuers to hold reserve assets not less than the total amount of circulating stablecoins and to redeem at face value within two business days, while prohibiting issuers from paying interest to holders. Allaire believes that the bill has bipartisan support and can provide policy protection for the stablecoin industry, but broader legislative progress on the structure of the cryptocurrency market in the United States has not yet been made.

According to Arbitrum monitoring, the stablecoin inflow on Mayan is performing well. Previously, Mayan has transferred over 2.5 billion dollars in assets to Arbitrum, including over 2.3 billion dollars in stablecoins; half of which came from transfers of 100,000 dollars or more.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Becerra stated that the "GENIUS Act" is a watershed moment in the U.S. financial sector, further solidifying the United States' position as a global cryptocurrency hub.He pointed out that just as President Lincoln's National Currency Act of 1863 established a national framework for banks to issue currency, the "GENIUS Act" establishes a federal framework for payment stablecoins in the digital age.Becerra noted that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's (OCC) final rule advances the implementation of this landmark legislation, providing a clear and pragmatic foundation for private sector innovation, competition, and the United States' leadership in the digital asset space.

Anchorage Digital, the first federally regulated crypto bank in the United States, announced a partnership with the tokenization platform Securitize, which will allow for the direct minting and redemption of stablecoins issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A., without the need for intermediaries. Anchorage Digital Bank is also responsible for custody and settlement, ensuring that the counterparty and custody standards on the dollar side of tokenization transactions on Securitize align with those on the securities side.Securitize is the largest tokenization platform globally by assets under management, providing regulated infrastructure for tokenized funds for institutions such as Apollo, BlackRock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and VanEck, with platform assets exceeding $4 billion. The stablecoin issuance ecosystem of Anchorage Digital Bank includes USDtb, issued in collaboration with Ethena Labs, and USA₮, co-developed with Tether.According to an independent reserve report verified by Anchorage Digital Bank, as of August 31, 2026, approximately 99% of the $530 million reserves of USDtb are held by the Securitize tokenized BlackRock BUIDL fund.Nathan McCauley, co-founder and CEO of Anchorage Digital, stated that Anchorage Digital Bank is designed for the large-scale issuance of stablecoins under federal regulation, and regulated issuance is key for tokenization to reach institutional scale. Carlos Domingo, chairman and CEO of Securitize, mentioned that collaborating with Anchorage Digital Bank enables them to directly access digital dollars issued under federal regulation and custodied by the same institution.

According to CoinPost, Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Toshiaki Inoue, stated in the House of Representatives' Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Committee that he will study the introduction of stablecoins into the consumption tax exemption system for foreign tourists visiting Japan, and mentioned a "refund method" for tax refunds after departure confirmation, stating that he will promote responses from the user's perspective.According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the country's tax exemption system will change to a refund method starting from purchases made on November 1: Tourists will purchase goods at tax-included prices, and within 90 days from the date of purchase, upon departure confirmation by customs, they can then receive the consumption tax refund, which will be handled by the duty-free shop or an entrusted refund agency.

According to a report by The Block, Coinbase released a report titled "The Always-On Dollar" indicating that in the third quarter of 2026, the average hourly transfer amount of organic stablecoin transactions exceeded $400 million. Over the past 12 months, as of July 31, approximately 73% of filtered stablecoin transfer volume occurred outside of U.S. banking hours, highlighting the demand for 24/7 stablecoin payments.The report shows that the adjusted quarterly transfer volume of stablecoins has grown to four times its original amount since the beginning of 2023, reaching $891 billion in the third quarter of 2026. At the current growth rate, this figure is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by the end of 2027. The report also noted that using USDC to remit $200 through the Base network can save about 86% in fees compared to traditional payment channels. Furthermore, if 80% of global international transactions shift to stablecoin payment networks, the global annual GDP could increase by an additional $155 billion.Looking ahead, the report believes that stablecoins are likely to become an important payment infrastructure for the AI agent economy. McKinsey estimates that by 2030, between $3 trillion to $5 trillion in B2C commercial transactions will be facilitated by AI agents, with stablecoins supporting small transactions such as payment task fees between agents, purchasing API calls, and on-demand access to data and computing power.

According to CoinDesk, France has narrowly passed a cryptocurrency tax amendment, proposing to impose a 31.4% capital gains tax on transactions exchanging crypto assets for stablecoins starting from January 2027.However, the amendment still needs to be approved by the French Senate and go through the budget coordination process before it can officially become law.

The cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase stated on X that stablecoins can complete cross-border transfers in seconds, but the funds still need to enter channels that the recipient can actually use.Coinbase mentioned that it is collaborating with the cross-border payment company Thunes to connect its stablecoin infrastructure to local bank accounts and mobile wallets worldwide.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) released Working Paper No. 1385, comparing the cross-border payment costs of traditional banks, fintech remittance companies, and stablecoins. The paper points out that stablecoins can complete cross-border transfers through networks such as Ethereum, Solana, and Tron, reducing reliance on correspondent banks and SWIFT.The paper states that the exchange rates of stablecoins for major currencies can approach wholesale foreign exchange rates, and on-chain transfer fees are relatively low. However, the complete process involving fiat currency, stablecoins, and fiat currency still incurs transaction, withdrawal, and exchange fees. Stablecoins reconstruct the intermediary process but do not eliminate intermediaries. Insufficient market depth limits the cost advantages of large payments, and some advantages in emerging markets are related to capital controls and demand for US dollars.

Despite the stablecoin circulating supply experiencing almost no growth in the first 9 months before 2026, its payment usage is accelerating. During the same period, stablecoin payments reached $482 billion, a year-on-year increase of 45%; the number of transactions rose to over 1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 71%. On-chain stablecoin card spending reached $3.9 billion, ten times that of the same period last year, with transactions under $50 accounting for 84% of the increase in card transactions.Mastercard, Stripe, and Visa launched services this week to integrate stablecoins into existing payment systems. In the first three quarters, out of $97.9 trillion in original transfers, only 2.5%, or $2.4 trillion, belonged to end-user activities, with $482 billion being the payment amount under this metric; stablecoin card spending in the second quarter accounted for only 0.03% of Visa's $4 trillion payment volume during the same period.

The third-quarter report released by the stablecoin payment network Borderless.xyz shows that the median cost of sending a $200 remittance through stablecoin funding channels is 1%, or $2; whereas, according to World Bank data, the median cost of traditional remittance channels is 6.36%, or $12.72. In comparison, the cost of stablecoin remittances is approximately 84% lower. This comparison uses Borderless's pricing for the third quarter of 2026 and World Bank data for the same period in 2025.In emerging markets, the cost advantage is also evident. The cost of stablecoin remittances in Sub-Saharan Africa is 2.9%, while traditional transfers are 8.46%; in Latin America, the figures are 1.25% and 5.64%, respectively. In terms of corporate payments, a $10,000 stablecoin transfer to the Eurozone can cost as low as $26 when choosing the lowest-cost service provider, with the median service provider costing $52; traditional international bank wire transfers for the same amount require $135 to $150, including transfer fees and a 1% foreign exchange spread.Regarding settlement speed, the report states that stablecoin payments can reach the recipient's local bank account within minutes. The median settlement time for Brazil's PIX network in the third quarter is 2 minutes, Mexico's SPEI is 3 minutes, and Colombia's PSE is 2 minutes; traditional SWIFT transfers typically settle the next day, with the slowest 10% taking 3 business days. The success rate for receiving funds varies significantly: Mexico's SPEI is 98.6%, Brazil's PIX is 97.8%, Colombia's PSE is 79%, and Costa Rica's SINPE is only 73%. Standard Chartered Bank recently pointed out that although the total market capitalization of stablecoins has grown relatively slowly this year, transaction volumes are still rising, and it is expected that this market will reach $2 trillion by 2030, two years later than previously predicted.