Key Discussion Highlights
- From hype to utility: Why stablecoins have moved beyond speculation and are now being used for real payment applications. The difference between volatile crypto assets and asset-backed stablecoins, and how value stability unlocks everyday use cases.
- Cross-border payments and remittances: How stablecoins reduce costs, settlement delays, and intermediaries. The growing relevance for merchants, treasurers, and consumers sending funds across borders.
- Micropayments and automation: The emergence of use cases such as small online purchases, machine-initiated transactions, and programmable money flows that traditional rails do not support efficiently.
- Industry adoption: The role of fintechs, banks, payment providers, and tech giants. Why companies like Stripe, PayPal, and Circle are taking the lead, and how Visa, Mastercard, and Swift are adapting.
- Regulation and geography: A look at the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom. How the US is encouraging innovation, how MiCA affects European development, and how the UK is positioning itself in between.
- Stablecoins and CBDCs: Why they are seen as complementary rather than competing. CBDCs as a settlement layer and public infrastructure, and stablecoins as programmable and innovation-driven instruments.
- The consumer perspective: Why end users will not need to understand the underlying technology. Wallets, platforms, and apps will hide complexity and make digital money feel familiar.
