1.5 Enterprise Adoption and Future Implications
What you'll learn: How businesses of all sizes use stablecoins to cut costs and improve operations, plus what widespread adoption means for the future of commerce.
Just as individuals use stablecoins to save money on international transfers and protect against inflation, businesses are discovering similar benefits at a larger scale. When a clothing company in Mexico needs to pay fabric suppliers in Vietnam, traditional bank transfers can take 3-5 days and cost hundreds of dollars in fees. Using stablecoins, that same payment happens in minutes and costs just a few dollars. This speed and savings multiply across thousands of transactions, which is why companies from small online shops to giants like JPMorgan are exploring stablecoin payments.
The business case for stablecoins starts with simple math. Traditional international wire transfers typically cost $25-50 per transaction plus currency conversion fees of 1-3% [1]. For a company sending 100 payments monthly, switching to stablecoins can save $30,000-60,000 annually. But the benefits extend beyond cost savings. Weekend operations become possible since stablecoins operate 24/7, unlike banks that close on weekends and holidays. Cash flow improves when payments settle in minutes rather than days. And companies can serve customers in countries where traditional banking relationships are difficult to establish.
But institutions increasingly cite benefits that extend beyond simple cost reduction. Faster settlement reduces trapped capital and improves liquidity management. Integrated payment flows enable new business models. Treasury departments free resources by reducing settlement times from days to minutes. The shift represents a move from viewing stablecoins as a "cheaper rail" to recognizing them as a smarter one that unlocks operational agility and revenue opportunities [10].
Small Businesses Lead the Way
Small and medium businesses led the adoption curve. A 2024 survey found that 81% of small businesses view stablecoins as viable payment solutions, with 48% citing speed as the primary benefit [2]. Service providers working with international clients particularly benefit: freelance developers in India can receive USDC payments from US clients instantly, avoiding both conversion fees and the 2-3 day wait for traditional transfers.
Enterprise Scale: From Experiments to Infrastructure
Larger corporations initially approached stablecoins cautiously but now deploy them at significant scale. JPMorgan, one of the world's largest banks, created its own stablecoin platform called Kinexys (formerly Onyx) that now processes over $2 billion daily across 350 financial institutions [3]. BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, launched a fund that holds government bonds in digital form on blockchain, accumulating over $1 billion in assets [4]. These aren't experiments anymore; they represent core infrastructure serving real business needs.
The integration extends through the payment ecosystem. Stripe, which processes payments for millions of online businesses, now accepts USDC stablecoin payments at fees roughly 50% lower than credit card processing [5]. Mastercard built a Multi-Token Network enabling businesses to settle transactions using blockchain technology [6]. In October 2025, S&P Global partnered with Chainlink to deliver real-time stablecoin risk assessments directly through blockchain infrastructure, launching first on Base, Coinbase's Ethereum Layer-2 network. Financial institutions can now access S&P's credit analysis through the same systems that power decentralized finance protocols. This represents a shift from treating blockchain as a separate technology requiring special integration to building tools that work natively within blockchain environments. When traditional financial data providers build directly on blockchain rails, they signal that institutional adoption has moved beyond experimentation [14]. Even telecom companies embrace stablecoins: Zeebu processed $5.7 billion in business-to-business telecom payments using stablecoins in 2024 [7].
Banks themselves are entering the stablecoin market. In October 2025, ten major banks, including Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Citi, announced a joint initiative to explore issuing stablecoins pegged to G7 currencies. This consortium represents a shift from individual bank experiments to coordinated industry infrastructure. However, early efforts face challenges: Societe Generale became the first major bank to issue a dollar-backed stablecoin earlier in 2025, yet the token attracted only $30.6 million in circulation, demonstrating that institutional backing alone does not guarantee market adoption [13].
Regional Patterns in Business Adoption
Regional differences shape adoption patterns. Argentine businesses, facing 236% annual inflation, immediately convert peso revenues to USDC to preserve value [8]. This isn't speculation; it's practical treasury management when local currency loses purchasing power daily. Philippine companies use stablecoins to pay overseas workers, reducing remittance costs from 6% to under 1% [9]. African import-export businesses bypass the challenge of obtaining US dollars from local banks by transacting directly in stablecoins [2].
A separate consortium of nine European banks, including ING and UniCredit, formed a company in September 2025 to launch a euro-denominated stablecoin, reflecting regional efforts to develop stablecoin infrastructure aligned with local currencies and regulatory frameworks [13].
However, stablecoins primarily address cross-border and weak-currency challenges; domestic payments in countries with efficient, low-cost systems see limited benefit from switching.
Programmable Money: The Next Evolution
These examples point toward a broader transformation in how money works. Traditional currency is "static" in that it simply moves from sender to receiver. Stablecoins can be "programmable," meaning they can include automatic rules. For instance, a stablecoin payment could be programmed to release funds only when goods arrive at their destination, or to automatically split payments among multiple suppliers according to preset percentages. This isn't science fiction; companies already use these features for escrow services, automated royalty distributions, and supply chain financing.
The implications reach beyond individual companies. As more businesses adopt stablecoins, network effects emerge. Suppliers prefer customers who can pay instantly. Customers choose vendors who accept lower-cost payment methods. Financial service providers develop new products around stablecoin infrastructure. What started as a solution for crypto traders has evolved into payment infrastructure offering an alternative to traditional banking.
Traditional banks are developing parallel infrastructure called bank tokens, deposit tokens and tokenized deposits that offer similar blockchain benefits while maintaining existing banking relationships. Some analysts project bank token transaction volumes could reach $100-140 trillion by 2030 [12], far exceeding stablecoin issuance projections, as even a small shift of traditional payment rails to blockchain infrastructure would generate massive volume. Both formats will likely coexist, serving different business needs.
What This Means for You
For readers wondering why this matters to them, consider three perspectives. If you work for a company, stablecoin adoption could mean faster supplier payments, new international markets, and lower transaction costs that improve competitiveness. If you're a consumer, widespread business adoption means more payment options, potentially lower prices as businesses save on fees, and access to global products and services. If you're an investor or policymaker, the shift represents both opportunity and challenge as traditional financial infrastructure adapts to blockchain-based alternatives.
This widespread adoption rests on a foundation of proven reliability. Leading stablecoins demonstrated their ability to maintain pegs during the 2022 bear market, the 2023 banking crisis, and multiple periods of market volatility. Enhanced transparency through regular audits and proof-of-reserves reporting gave institutions the confidence they needed to move from pilots to production deployments.
The stablecoin story demonstrates how technology can transform something as fundamental as money itself. From ancient coins to paper currency to electronic banking, each evolution made commerce more efficient. Stablecoins represent the next step: money that moves at internet speed, operates without borders, and can execute business logic automatically.
The numbers reflect this trajectory. Stablecoin issuance grew from $200 billion at the start of 2025 to $280 billion by mid-year, driven by increased business adoption and new use cases. Market analysts now project total issuance could reach $1.9 trillion in their base case scenario, with a bull case of $4.0 trillion as more companies integrate blockchain-based payments into their operations [11]. Understanding this transformation helps explain why institutional adoption continues to accelerate and why the impact on global commerce will likely expand in the years ahead.
Key Takeaways:
Stablecoin issuance grew from $200 billion to $280 billion in the first half of 2025, with projections reaching $1.9 trillion base case or $4.0 trillion bull case as adoption accelerates
Businesses save $300-600 per international payment by switching from bank wires to stablecoins, with savings multiplying across thousands of transactions
81% of small businesses see stablecoins as viable payment solutions, while giants like JPMorgan process $2 billion daily through stablecoin platforms
Real-world benefits include 24/7 operations, instant settlement, 50% lower fees than credit cards, and access to new international markets
Programmable money enables automatic business rules like releasing payment when goods arrive or splitting payments among suppliers
Different users benefit from different solutions: digitally native companies and frontier markets favor stablecoins, while traditional enterprises may prefer bank tokens for easier integration
References
[1] SWIFT Transfer Fees and Charges Explained - https://payglocal.in/blog/swift-charges-explained
[2] Blockchain Adoption Hits 60% of Fortune 500 as SMB Stablecoin Demand Soars - https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/0f2c4-blockchain-fortune-500-60-percent-smb-stablecoin-demand
[3] Kinexys by J.P. Morgan Flourishes in the MENA Region - https://ffnews.com/newsarticle/kinexys-by-j-p-morgan-flourishes-in-the-mena-region/
[4] BlackRock's BUIDL first to cross $1 billion mark, making it the largest tokenized fund tracking onchain Treasuries - https://www.theblock.co/post/346237/blackrocks-buidl-first-to-cross-1-billion-mark-making-it-the-largest-tokenized-fund-tracking-onchain-treasuries
[5] Stripe Reintroduces Crypto Payments In The US - https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/2024-10-10-stripe-reintroduces-crypto-payments-in-the-us-14690930150186
[6] Mastercard, JPMorgan collaborate on cross-border B2B payments - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mastercard-jpmorgan-collaborate-cross-border-115736005.html
[7] Zeebu's Scalability-Focused Approach Drives Settlement Volume to Record $5 Billion - https://www.zeebu.com/blog/zeebu-crosses-5-billion-in-settlement-volume
[8] Latin America: Venezuela and Argentina Stand Out as Examples of Crypto's Unique Utility - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/latin-america-cryptocurrency-adoption/
[9] Stablecoin Payments in the Philippines - https://www.transfi.com/blog/stablecoin-payments-in-the-philippines-redefining-remittances-and-online-work-payments
[10] Plasma Redefining Stablecoin Settlement - https://assets.dlnews.com/dlresearch/DL_Research_Report_Plasma_Redefining_Stablecoin_Settlement_v3.pdf
[11] The State of Crypto: The Future of Money Is Here - https://www.coinbase.com/en-fr/blog/the-state-of-crypto-the-future-of-money-is-here
[12] CITI Stablecoins 2030 - https://www.citigroup.com/rcs/citigpa/storage/public/GPS_Report_Stablecoins_2030.pdf
[13] Major banks explore issuing stablecoin pegged to G7 currencies - https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/major-banks-explore-issuing-stablecoins-pegged-g7-currencies-2025-10-10/
[14] S&P Global brings stablecoin risk ratings onchain via Chainlink - https://www.theblock.co/post/374521/s-and-p-global-stablecoin-risk-ratings-onchain-chainlink
© 2025 Protokol Innovation Labs | Licensed under CC BY 4.0
Last updated