Stablecoin Payout Pilots Could Lift Market to $4T by 2030

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says large tech firms’ stablecoin payout pilots could expand the stablecoin market toward $4T by 2030, up from about $300B today. The thesis is supported by operational trials rather than lower fees: companies can pay globally using a single stablecoin wallet address, reducing reliance on traditional banking and multiple FX conversions. Hougan cited Stripe testing stablecoin payouts across 40+ countries, and DoorDash trialing stablecoin payouts for ~10M “Dashers” across 40+ countries. Meta also launched creator payouts in the Philippines and Colombia using the Solana and Polygon networks. He noted pilots remain small in dollar terms but increased confidence in long-term adoption, while stablecoin supply has grown past ~$302B (Tether USDT ~$189.5B; Circle USDC ~$79B). Traditional rails are also building stablecoin infrastructure: Western Union introduced USDPT on Solana for settlement across 200+ countries, and Visa reported a stablecoin settlement pilot with a ~$7B annualized run rate across nine blockchains. For traders, the key takeaway is that stablecoins are moving further into payments infrastructure. Stablecoin adoption narrative may support liquidity expectations, while execution risk remains (regulatory clarity, rollout pace, and continued small pilot sizes).