A very interesting and relevant question - will stablecoins become the standard for global payments?
Probability - high, but not guaranteed.
This is why:
Advantages of stablecoins:
Instant settlements. Especially important in cross-border trade.
Low fees. Lower than those of banking systems and SWIFT.
24/7 availability. No weekends, holidays, or regulations.
Transparency and auditability. Especially for B2B and API settlements.
Limitations:
Regulatory risks. Especially in the US and EU.
Volatility of infrastructure. Remember the cases with TerraUSD.
UX and mass adoption. Still difficult for the 'ordinary' user.
Integration into the existing financial system. Requires coordination with banks, auditors, tax authorities.
Which platform can lead this shift?
1. Circle / USDC
Partnerships: already working with Visa, Mastercard, Shopify.
Regulatory transparency: focused on compliance with SEC/FinCEN norms.
Infrastructure: integrated into major blockchains (Ethereum, Solana, Base, Polygon, etc.).
2. Tether / USDT
Mass adoption: dominates in emerging markets (Lat. America, Asia).
Censorship resistance: less susceptible to control.
Downside: less trust at the institutional level.
3. PayPal USD (PYUSD)
Integration: PayPal and Venmo can quickly provide access to tens of millions.
Direct access to Web2.
4. Base (Coinbase + USDC)
Could become the de facto platform for American tech giants.
How could this change everyday use of cryptocurrencies?
Shift from speculation to utility:
Crypto will become a means of payment, not just an investment.
Integration into Web2 applications:
Payments in Apple Pay, Google Pay, Airbnb, X - natively and without volatility.
Instant transfers between countries (e.g., settling with a landlord in Turkey via Airbnb in USDC).
Corporate application:
B2B payments, salaries in stablecoins (already being tested in the Asia-Pacific region).
Growth of DeFi with the connection of the real sector:
Support for stablecoins by large Web2 companies will bring liquidity to DeFi protocols related to real assets (RWA, loans, tokenized goods).
Output
If giants like Apple and Google really integrate stablecoins, it:
will accelerate the global legitimization of crypto assets;
will open the way for mass adoption of DeFi and Web3;
will make stablecoins the new digital dollar, especially in countries with limited access to the dollar.
Race leaders are likely to be Circle (USDC), PYUSD, and Tether (in emerging markets).