Stablecoin Market Hits $300B: Chains, Yields & AI

The global stablecoin market cap has surged past $300 billion, an 83% year-on-year increase, highlighting stablecoins’ evolution from speculative tools to core financial infrastructure. Regulatory clarity from the US GENIUS Act and EU MiCA has spurred compliant adoption. USDT and USDC retain an 84% market share, while newcomers USDe and PayPal’s PYUSD gain traction. Dedicated stablecoin blockchains—Tether’s Plasma, Stable’s layer-1 network and Circle’s Arc—now process over 1,000–3,000 transactions per second with near-zero fees and sub-second finality. Yield-bearing stablecoins like USDe and Sky’s USDS embed delta-neutral strategies to offer 2.6%–4.8% annual returns, driving TVL beyond $110 billion. On payments, provider BVNK handled $20 billion in cross-border stablecoin transfers, and Stripe introduced USDC subscription billing and custom issuance tools. AI-optimized rails via KITE AI and the x402 HTTP protocol set the stage for machine-to-machine stablecoin payments. These advancements signal bullish momentum for traders seeking deeper liquidity, lower transaction costs and expanded DeFi opportunities.