Visa announced a new Visa Direct pilot that lets businesses fund payouts in fiat while recipients opt to receive funds in USD-backed stablecoins like USDC, enabling near-instant, borderless transfers to on-chain wallets. Revealed at Web Summit and expanded from a SIBOS 2025 pilot, the initiative targets faster, more flexible cross-border payments and financial inclusion in regions with currency volatility or limited banking access.

China’s central bank intensified its stance against stablecoins, with People’s Bank of China (PBoC) Governor Pan Gongsheng calling dollar-pegged tokens a threat to global financial stability and monetary sovereignty. Speaking at the Financial Street Annual Meeting in Beijing, Pan said stablecoins amplify vulnerabilities in the financial system and fall short of core compliance standards, including AML and KYC, warning they can facilitate illicit finance.

Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, has partnered with crypto infrastructure provider Crossmint to expand USDC usage across multiple blockchain rails. The collaboration integrates Crossmint Wallets and APIs for onramps, payments, and orchestration, enabling both humans and AI agents to transact seamlessly with digital dollars. Circle highlighted that this partnership lays the groundwork for a “new era of finance” where money moves instantly and globally.

PayPal’s stablecoin PYUSD (PayPal USD) is undergoing a major upgrade that could reshape its role in the crypto economy. Through its integration with LayerZero’s Stargate Hydra, PYUSD will now function as a true cross-chain stablecoin by expanding to nine additional blockchains, including Avalanche (AVAX), Aptos (APT), Sei (SEI), and Tron (TRX).

Circle has announced a new partnership with Finastra, a global financial software firm, to expand the use of its USDC stablecoin in cross-border payments. Through this collaboration, Circle’s USDC will be integrated into Finastra’s Global PAYplus (GPP) platform, which supports nearly $5 trillion in annual global transactions used by thousands of financial institutions worldwide.

Goldman Sachs has released a new report predicting a massive surge in the stablecoin market, projecting that its value could reach into the trillions of dollars in the coming years. The bank highlights that while stablecoins—digital assets pegged to stable assets like the U.S. dollar—are currently valued at around $288 billion, their primary use has been limited to crypto trading and offshore demand for dollars.

Institutional confidence in stablecoins has reached unprecedented levels, with over 50% of the $3 trillion in digital asset transfers processed by Fireblocks involving stablecoins like USDT and USDC.