Stablecoin volumes could hit $1.5 quadrillion by 2035 as onchain payments begin to rival Mastercard, Visa: Chainalysis
Stablecoins volumes could rival Visa and Mastercard, processing up to $1.5 quadrillion annually by 2035 per a new Chainalysis report.
Stablecoin transaction volumes could reach an unprecedented $1.5 quadrillion annually by 2035, potentially rivaling traditional payment giants Visa and Mastercard, according to a new report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. The research suggests that onchain payments are positioned to compete directly with established payment networks over the next decade.
The projection represents a massive scaling of the current stablecoin ecosystem. Stablecoins, which are cryptocurrencies pegged to traditional assets like the US dollar, have already demonstrated significant growth in transaction volumes as they become increasingly adopted for cross-border payments, remittances, and digital commerce. Major stablecoins like USDT and USDC currently process billions of dollars in daily transactions across various blockchain networks.
If realized, this growth trajectory would fundamentally reshape the global payments landscape. Traditional payment processors Visa and Mastercard currently handle trillions of dollars in annual transaction volume through their established networks. The emergence of stablecoins as competitive payment rails could offer alternatives with potentially lower fees, faster settlement times, and greater accessibility, particularly for international transactions and underbanked populations.
The timeline and assumptions underlying Chainalysis's projections will be closely scrutinized by industry observers, as regulatory developments, technological scalability, and mainstream adoption rates will all play critical roles in determining whether onchain payments can achieve such dramatic growth over the next decade.
Source: The Block
