- Citi says stablecoins projected to settle trillions in transactions.
- Total market cap surges toward $300 billion.
Stablecoins are on track to become one of the most powerful forces in global finance, with Citibank predicting issuance could hit $4 trillion by 2030.
In a new report, the bulge-bracket bank lifted its bull-case projection for stablecoin issuance from $3.7 trillion earlier this year.
The revision follows what Citi called blockchain’s “ChatGPT moment,” with stablecoins driving mainstream adoption at an unexpected pace.
Stablecoins are a vital addition to the finance toolkit, especially for digitally native companies and frontier market households, Citi analysts Ronit Ghose and Ryan Rugg said.
They project that stablecoins will support as much as $200 trillion in annual transactions.
The forecast comes as the stablecoin sector surges toward a $300 billion market cap, according to DefiLlama data, as Wall Street giants embrace digital dollars en masse.
‘Fringe to urgent’
Anna Strebl, CEO of stablecoin payment platform Confirmo, said her firm has witnessed exponential growth in real-world flows.
“In 2022, monthly volume in business-to-business stablecoin payments was under $100 million. Today, it’s over $3 billion,” she told DL News.
“That shift shows stablecoins aren’t just a peer-to-peer tool anymore — they’ve become the backbone of global settlement.”
Ron Tarter, CEO of stablecoin company MNEE, said that US President Donald Trump’s signing the Genuis Act, the first federal framework to regulate the industry, into law, was a green light for corporate America.
It meant that “stablecoins went from fringe to urgent, and every major player feels the pressure to move fast,” Tarter said.
Stablecoin startups surge
The optimism comes as industry leaders eye big fundraising opportunities.
Stablecoin startups have raised $537 million in 2025 so far, five times more than in 2024, DefiLlama data shows.
Circle, the issuer of USDC, raised $1 billion when it went public in June.
It still trades at a lofty $36 billion market cap despite reporting a $482 million loss for the second quarter.
Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin operator, is reportedly in talks to raise $20 billion at a valuation of $500 billion, placing it in the same league as established tech titans OpenAI and SpaceX.
Citi noted the future will not be a “winner takes all” battle between dollar-pegged tokens and bank money. Instead, they see a wide variety of issuers and onchain dollars coexisting.
Moreover, demand for dollar-linked assets will create “incremental new demand” for US Treasuries, the bank said.
The new report echoes earlier predictions from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said stablecoins could grow into a $2 trillion market in the next few years.
Crypto market movers
- Bitcoin is down 2.6% over the past 24 hours to trade at $108,939.
- Ethereum is down 3.2% over the past 24 hours, trading at $3,892.
What we’re reading
- Aster and Hyperliquid drive $2tn volume record as perp DEX competition heats up — DL News
- Bitcoin miners hit ‘chill zone’ as profitability continues to collapse— DL News
- Senators Warren and Slotkin Call for Probe Into Trump Administration’s WLFI Deal — Unchained
- Crypto is out-growing the internet — Milk Road
- Naver to acquire Upbit in deal that rocks South Korean crypto industry— DL News
Lance Datskoluo is DL News’ Europe-based markets correspondent. Got a tip? Email at lance@dlnews.com.
