The stablecoin sector is coming into a interval of accelerated adoption similar to the early development of generative synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments like ChatGPT and will hit a market cap of over $1.6 trillion by 2030.
In line with a brand new report printed on April 24 by Citi Group’s World Views & Options unit, stablecoins at the moment are shifting from crypto-centric purposes to broader monetary and public sector use instances.
The shift is underpinned by growing regulatory readability, sturdy institutional curiosity, and demand from world markets for US dollar-denominated digital belongings.
The report paralleled the early levels of ChatGPT’s adoption with the present section of stablecoin development, framing 2025 because the turning level the place they develop into extra built-in with the worldwide financial system.
Below Citi’s bullish situation, the stablecoin market might hit a mixed market cap of over $3.7 trillion by 2030. The present marketplace for stablecoins sits above $230 billion, having grown almost 30x over the previous 5 years.
Institutional demand and macro drivers
The Citi report identifies regulatory progress, notably within the US and Europe, as a key issue enabling stablecoins to broaden past their authentic position in crypto buying and selling and DeFi.
New US laws launched in early 2025 goals to determine the authorized framework for stablecoin issuance and reserves. In the meantime, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Belongings (MiCA) regulation has set requirements throughout the bloc.
This regulatory momentum has coincided with demand from rising markets, the place entry to {dollars} is constrained, and from monetary establishments exploring stablecoin infrastructure for funds, settlements, and liquidity administration.
The report famous that banks and fee suppliers are starting to combine stablecoins into current monetary methods, eradicating limitations that after confined stablecoins to crypto-native use. Particularly, Citi projected that demand for stablecoins will create a brand new supply of buying exercise for US Treasuries.
Issuers backing their tokens with secure, liquid belongings might maintain extra Treasuries by 2030 than any present international jurisdiction, including over $1 trillion to Treasury demand underneath the financial institution’s base case.
Use instances broaden past crypto
Whereas crypto buying and selling stays the most important use case, answerable for as much as 95% of present stablecoin volumes, Citi projected development in areas equivalent to B2B cross-border funds, shopper remittances, and institutional capital markets exercise.
Rising markets equivalent to Argentina, Nigeria, and Turkey are additionally contributing to the retail adoption of stablecoins, as they function a hedge in opposition to inflation and foreign money volatility. In the meantime, remittance corridors are step by step shifting from conventional channels to stablecoin-enabled flows on account of decrease prices and quicker settlement instances.
On the institutional facet, main asset managers and fintech companies are piloting stablecoin-based settlements for funds, treasury operations, and liquidity provisioning, reflecting confidence within the infrastructure and regulatory panorama.
Citi in contrast the potential trajectory of stablecoins to that of the cardboard fee trade, suggesting that whereas a number of dominant issuers might emerge, nationwide gamers and public-private fashions are additionally anticipated to proliferate.
This might mirror the rise of regional card networks in nations like Brazil and India, the place native laws help home monetary sovereignty. The report emphasised the significance of belief, reserve transparency, and consumer expertise in figuring out which stablecoins obtain mainstream penetration.
It additionally famous that long-awaited regulatory readability has eliminated one of many sector’s largest limitations, enabling incumbents and challengers alike to construct providers on extra predictable authorized foundations.
