The stablecoin sector is demonstrating robust growth and increasing integration into the global financial system, with its total market value reaching approximately $226 billion. Despite this impressive figure, stablecoins remain a fraction of the size of traditional payment networks. For comparison, the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network processes around $93 trillion in transactions annually, while major card networks like Visa and Mastercard handle trillions more.
Payment giant Stripe has singled out stablecoins as the most powerful sector within crypto, highlighting their significant expansion throughout 2025, a period it termed "stablecoin summer." Stripe reported that stablecoin payment volume doubled during the year, driven by new use cases and payment channels. As of early 2026, the total stablecoin supply has stagnated near $306-$309 billion, led by dominant tokens USDT and USDC, but is projected to potentially reach $400 billion by year's end.
A key shift noted by Stripe is the changing rationale behind new stablecoin issuance. Historically, minting was often tied to cryptocurrency price fluctuations. In 2025, however, stablecoin supply and payment volume remained elevated even as Bitcoin's price dropped, indicating their growing role as a dedicated payment tool for business-to-business (B2B) platforms and within Decentralized Finance (DeFi) for collateral and liquidity.
The practical adoption of stablecoins is accelerating. Stripe revealed that the Y Combinator startup incubator now uses its platform to disburse funding in stablecoins for global team payments. Furthermore, the integration of digital wallets and the emergence of white-label stablecoin solutions are expanding their utility. The launch of stablecoin-spending cards by companies like Visa has also created an intuitive bridge between crypto and traditional payments.
Looking ahead, Stripe is preparing for the mainnet launch of its native blockchain, Tempo, in 2026. Developed in partnership with Paradigm, Tempo is specifically built for payments and aims to facilitate agentic payments and microtransactions. It has already secured partnerships with major firms including Visa, Nubank, and Shopify. Klarna is also testing a new asset, KlarnaUSD, on the Tempo network, positioning Stripe to compete as a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider.
