Swyftx sees AI-native freelance work as a large stablecoin payments market
Australian crypto exchange Swyftx said in its latest second-quarter industry report that the expansion of the AI-driven gig economy could push stablecoin settlement volume to $262 billion by 2033. The report estimates the global freelance market will reach $2.1 trillion by that year, with AI-native workers making up $775 billion of the total. About 33% of that payment flow could be settled in stablecoins.
Swyftx said high fees and slow settlement in traditional cross-border remittance channels are being challenged by stablecoin transfers on Layer 2 networks. The report frames that shift around freelancers who invoice often across borders but operate in payment bands that banks do not handle efficiently.
Freelancer count could grow from 6 million-10 million to 17 million
Pav Hundal, chief market analyst at Swyftx, said microbusinesses with fewer than five people are currently the fastest adopters of AI. He added that earlier adoption by large companies has also helped create a new wave of independent entrepreneurs.
According to the report, there are currently about 6 million to 10 million freelancers in this category worldwide. Over the next 10 years, that figure is projected to rise to 17 million. Hundal said, "These independent entrepreneurs are highly sensitive to remittance and transaction fees, which makes this a large potential market for stablecoins."
Report says Layer 2 stablecoin transfers cut costs sharply
Swyftx said traditional cross-border payment rails come with high fees, settlement windows that can stretch for days, and access limits affecting users in more than 50 countries. Based on its case study estimates, stablecoin transfers over Ethereum Layer 2 networks can reduce fees by 80% to 90%, while the average freelancer could save about 86% a year on transfer costs.
The report gave one example of a remote worker earning $3,000 a month from freelance work. Using traditional remittance channels, that worker could lose $200 to $300 a year in fees. With stablecoins, the cost of the same payment flow could fall to less than $20 to $50. Swyftx said the savings matter even more in lower-income markets.
Institutional infrastructure could generate $1.3 billion in new revenue
Swyftx also estimated that the institutional infrastructure needed to support this payment flow, including over-the-counter liquidity, custody and yield services, could generate $1.3 billion in new revenue by 2033. That estimate assumes combined trading, liquidity and custody costs of 0.5%.
The report added that stablecoin market capitalization has doubled over the past two years, while June trading volume hit a record $1.79 billion. Swyftx said that points to rising demand for payment use cases. Hundal said, "Adoption does not happen because the technology exists. It happens because the economics are compelling and the rules are clear. For stablecoins, those two conditions are now falling into place."
AI agents are another potential payments driver
The report also pointed to AI-agent payments as another possible growth driver. Because AI agents do not have bank accounts, they may rely on crypto assets for payments. In Swyftx's view, that means stablecoin usage may extend beyond freelancers themselves to the AI assistants acting on their behalf.