Stablecoins are strengthening their role in global payments as transaction activity moves closer to mainstream financial network scale. Binance Research, the market analysis unit of crypto exchange Binance, reported on April 21 that stablecoins processed approximately $33 trillion in 2025, compared to roughly $14 trillion in Visa payments volume. This highlights how blockchain-based settlement is gaining visibility in cross-border finance.
Binance Research stated on social media platform X that stablecoin transaction activity has moved ahead of legacy payment networks in overall scale. The post acknowledged that raw volume includes on-chain noise, while stressing that long-term growth trends offer a clearer signal of network evolution than headline figures alone. “Yes, the raw figure includes on-chain noise. The point is the trajectory — stablecoin rails are now operating at payments-network scale,” the firm explained.
Adjusted Volume Still Surpasses Visa
After excluding MEV and internal exchange flows, Binance claimed in a follow-up X post, “stablecoins still overtake Visa in 2026.” The firm added that adjusted volume for stablecoins has climbed from about $0.5 trillion in 2022 to more than $7 trillion today, while Visa’s figures have remained largely flat. This suggests a growing contribution from payment-like activity alongside trading-related flows. Binance noted: “Organic, payments-like stablecoin usage is doing the work now.”
Institutional Adoption Accelerates
Fireblocks data showed rising institutional focus. About 60% of banks target cross-border payments and FX. Another 52% prioritize real-time settlement. Around 37% focus on treasury optimization. Custody and collateral use cases each sit near 30%. This reflects broader integration beyond simple transfers. Binance Research stated: “Banks aren’t exploring. They’re deploying.” The data indicates a transition from pilot programs to active implementation within banking operations.
Cost efficiency remains a central driver. Binance Research detailed that a $10,000 cross-border transfer using stablecoins typically carries near-zero fees and settles almost instantly, compared with about $70 and 12 hours via fintech platforms, $150 and 72 hours through SWIFT, $300 and 48 hours via card networks, and roughly $350 and 24 hours using digital money transfer operators. “The gap is structural, not marginal,” the firm stressed.
Context Needed on Real-World Payments
However, the comparison with Visa carries an important caveat, as the two figures measure fundamentally different types of activity. Research from McKinsey estimates stablecoins moved about $35 trillion in 2025, yet only about $390 billion reflected actual payments, with the rest tied largely to trading, liquidity flows, and other blockchain-native activity. This distinction underscores that headline transaction values may overstate real-world commercial usage. Accordingly, while stablecoins surpass Visa in raw transfer value, the comparison is less definitive when narrowed to consumer and business payment activity.
Regulatory Momentum Supports Adoption
Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng’s remarks at Hong Kong Web3 Festival on April 20 further highlight the role of stablecoins in addressing cross-border payment inefficiencies. He described them as a practical answer to legacy payment friction. Teng stated: “Stablecoins represent that alternative. It’s totally built on blockchain. If you do a transfer on stablecoin, it’s instantaneous at a fraction of the cost.” His comments came as Hong Kong granted its first fiat-backed stablecoin issuer licenses to HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial under the city’s Stablecoins Ordinance.
The executive also argued that regulatory fragmentation remains a hurdle, even as jurisdictions—including the U.S., the European Union, Japan, the UAE, and Hong Kong—develop clearer rules. He pointed to compliance standardization as a necessary step toward scaling cross-border adoption. Taken together, institutional adoption, regulatory progress, and growing payment utility suggest stablecoins are gaining traction as a viable layer for global payment infrastructure.