Crypto executives share 6 stablecoin predictions for 2026

Cointelegraph

Stablecoins have shifted from speculative assets to essential infrastructure in emerging markets, and adoption in developed regions has surged. Yet the market remains divided. Some expect stablecoins to dominate through decentralized protocols, while others foresee tokenized deposits as the main growth driver.​This raises critical questions about the future of money. Will stablecoins revolutionize payments globally, or will traditional banking adapt in ways that blur the lines?And critically, will stablecoins destabilize markets?We asked 20 crypto executives about their stablecoin predictions for 2026. Covering market adoption, regulatory dynamics, technological advancements and emergent business models, here’s a panoramic view of where stablecoins stand as we enter the new year.Stablecoins become core financial infrastructureStablecoins’ 24/7 hybrid design supports real-time settlement, reduced transaction costs and greater accessibility.We spoke to the co-founder and chief product officer of Neura, Tyler Sloan, about stablecoins’ definitive moment. Sloan believes that stablecoins have reached a key inflection point.“In 2026, we will see stablecoins shift from ‘crypto primitives’ to core settlement infrastructure across DeFi and the broader financial system,” Sloan said. “This will bring faster rails so that transfers can settle instantly, gas gets abstracted away, and compliance is embedded directly into the stack.”Maja Vujinovic, co-founder and CEO of digital assets at FG Nexus, feels that invisibility is the next step for stablecoins and forecasts that they will become the “basic plumbing” that moves money across the internet.Mark Aruliah, head of EMEA policy and regulatory affairs at Elliptic, feels the same. He predicts 2026 will be the year that stablecoins will become embedded in global finance.Regulatory green lights will spur a stablecoin boomRegulation has built a strong foundation for growth and competition in 2026.Stablecoins are poised to move beyond being a “crypto product,” according to Adrian Wall, managing director of the Digital Sovereignty Alliance. Once innovators know the rules of the road, they’ll build faster, safer and more compliant products that expand what stablecoins can do.“By 2026, regulated dollar-backed stablecoins will be built directly into mainstream payment systems. They’ll be used by banks, fintechs and retailers alike,” Wall said.Growing momentum is a key theme, as Maghnus Mareneck, co-CEO of Cosmos Labs, explained:“We’ll see a boom in new stablecoin issuers, from tech firms to telecom companies, all creating digital tokens backed by fiat or real-world assets under oversight. Paradoxically, regulation will fuel growth here, instead of hindering it.”Stephan Dalal, chief legal officer of Open World, predicts that stablecoins will settle 10%-15% or more of cross-border transaction volume and power merchant payment rails.In Asia, Tianwei Liu, co-founder of StraitsX, said that in 2026, stablecoins should begin to co-exist with traditional banking infrastructure rather than compete with it.Stablecoin regulation drives market splits and risksStablecoin regulation does, however, drive market splits and risks. Fragmented regulatory approaches create operational challenges for traders and institutions, heighten compliance costs and increase systemic risk.Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki, CEO of Concordium, told Cointelegraph, “The main bottlenecks for the growth of stablecoins are users’ lack of trust and concerns about safety. 2026 is the year when hype gets separated from real-world utility.”Bilowitzki continued:“The ones that’ll survive are the serious infrastructure builders who prioritize security, privacy-preserving identity and actual utility for consumers.”Market bifurcation also poses a risk. Eli Cohen, chief legal officer of Centrifuge and chief compliance officer of Anemoy, warns that this separation could expose retail users to significant losses from poorly understood yield mechanisms. Macroeconomic shifts, particularly dollar weakness, may drive users toward alternative pegs like gold-backed stablecoins.The next year could potentially bring true velocity to the stablecoin adoption trend. Lindsey Argalas, CEO of Taxbit, believes that institutions need to be ready:“The momentum is real. We are moving from experimentation to scaled adoption, and the institutions that invest early in compliance, clarity and operational readiness will be the ones that lead globally.”Institutional treasury adoption gains momentum in 2026OKX president Hong Fang told Cointelegraph that in 2026, stablecoins will begin appearing in contexts traditionally far removed from cryptocurrency, including business payments, treasury flows, B2B settlement, payroll and day-to-day financial operations.“Stablecoins fit naturally into how money should move,” Fang explained.Stablecoins could be set to become the primary touchpoint most people have with crypto, making them the fastest-growing sector in this space, according to Rebecca Liao, co-founder and CEO of Saga.Mercuryo’s co-founder and CEO, Petr Kozyakov, predicts:“The year 2026 will see the sector increase penetration, globally, with broader merchant acceptance and deeper integration into digital wallets.”This sentiment is shared by the vice president of onchain finance at Ava Labs, Morgan Krupetsky, who expects companies to increasingly use stablecoin service providers for transactions and to issue their own branded stablecoins.While the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies has at times exceeded $4 trillion this year, the market cap of stablecoins sits only just above $300 billion. This marks a big discrepancy between volatile and stable assets. This gap represents one of the most significant opportunities in digital finance as we head into 2026, according to Kevin Rusher, CEO of RAAC.Tokenized deposits could disrupt stablecoin dominanceStablecoins could have a strong competitor emerging: tokenized deposits.Simon McLoughlin, CEO of Uphold, highlighted to Cointelegraph that tokenized deposits could disrupt stablecoin dominance by offering digital representations of traditional bank deposits directly on blockchains, while maintaining regulatory protections like deposit insurance.As banks innovate with permissioned ledgers and programmable money features, tokenized deposits could become the preferred form of digital money for use cases requiring the security and stability of regulated banking, potentially challenging stablecoins’ current market lead. As McLoughlin said:“If 2025 was the year of the stablecoin, 2026 will be the year of the tokenized deposit.”Stablecoins will further enable inclusion in emerging marketsCountries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have seen substantial adoption of stablecoins for everyday transactions, remittances and wealth preservation. Daniel Ahmed, co-founder and chief operating officer of Fasset, believes that the Middle East’s deepening digital asset ecosystem, shaped by an influx of global hedge funds, asset managers and fintech operators, is being matched by regulators moving with unusual clarity and coordination.“As digital asset adoption accelerates in emerging markets across the global south, stablecoins are evolving from speculative instruments into foundational infrastructure, powering inclusive, efficient and values-aligned financial systems.”Stablecoins will evolve in onchain marketsStablecoins will undergo major evolution in onchain markets next year. Rune Christensen of Sky (formerly MakerDAO) notes that with $230 billion in idle, non-yielding stablecoins, smart money won’t sit on the sidelines for long. Institutions will undoubtedly look to decentralized finance (DeFi) and to USDS as a transparent way to put those idle funds to work.2026 will also usher in a structural shift in understanding, as Cian Breatnach, founder of Matariki Labs, foretells:“‘Debt tokens’ can underpin real credit formation and liquidity depth.”Finally, Benjamin, co-founder of Deploy Finance, summarized what’s set for stablecoins during 2026 with this bold prediction:“Stablecoins are not just another asset; they’re the base layer the tokenized world has been waiting for.”