Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis estimates that stablecoin volumes could hit a lofty $1.5 quadrillion within the next decade, beating the total volume of global cross-border payments today.
In a report on Wednesday, the Chainalysis team said that adjusted stablecoin volume could hit $719 trillion by 2035 just through organic growth, up from $28 trillion in 2025.
However, this figure could double by 2035 if two major catalysts come into play, said Chainalysis — the baby boomer generation passing $100 trillion in wealth to a crypto-loving generation and stablecoins knocking over traditional payment rails to become the default payment infrastructure.
“Factor in these catalysts, and our projections change: 2035 volumes could approach $1.5 quadrillion, a figure that would surpass the estimated $1 quadrillion in global cross-border payments today,” Chainalysis said.
Adjusted stablecoin volume could reach $719 trillion by 2035 through organic growth. Source: Chainalysis
The figure, should it come to pass, suggests that the stablecoin industry is extremely undervalued. It could be seen as a very generous estimate, as it would eclipse the annual volume of cross-border remittances, which was estimated at $865 billion in 2023 and $905 billion in 2024.
The number is even higher than World Population Review’s latest estimate of the total value of all global assets across banks, property and cash, which is around $662 trillion.
Even the $719 trillion would mean that stablecoins would need to continue their compound annual growth rate of 133% for the next decade.
$1.5 quadrillion stablecoin volume possible: Analyst
Rachael Lucas, a crypto analyst at Australian crypto exchange BTC Markets, told Cointelegraph $1.5 quadrillion is “a ceiling-case scenario, not a base case,” but said it could be possible, because growth is accelerating.
She also noted that volume measures how many times money moves, not how much exists; the same dollar can settle dozens of transactions a day.
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“The infrastructure is being built right now. Stripe acquiring Bridge, Mastercard partnering with BVNK, these are operational bets, not experiments. Add regulatory clarity from the GENIUS Act, and institutional participation can scale in ways that simply were not possible before,” she added.
“The generational wealth transfer will do the rest. Millennials and Gen Z are the first generations for whom on-chain is a default, not a deliberate choice.”
A January OKX survey found that among younger Americans, 40% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials plan to increase their crypto activity this year, compared with 11% of Boomers.
Meanwhile, stablecoins are frequently cited as a major driver of crypto adoption. A September report by EY-Parthenon, the strategy consulting division of Ernst & Young, found that 13% of financial institutions and corporates globally use stablecoins and 54% of non-users expect to adopt them within 12 months.
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