The stablecoin market cap hit a new all-time high (ATH) of $226.8 billion this Thursday

Stablecoins—digital assets pegged to traditional currencies like the U.S. dollar—serve as a reliable store of value for investors

The stablecoin market cap hit a new all-time high (ATH) of $226.8 billion this Thursday, even as the broader crypto market experienced a significant dip.

On-chain activity of Tether (USDT) reached a six-month high on March 12, with over 143,000 wallets transferring USDT in a single day, according to a recent report by Santiment.

Further, since January 1, the aggregate stablecoin supply has also increased by $20.17 billion (+10.9%), now surpassing $205 billion, according to Glassnode data.

Stablecoins, which are digital assets pegged to traditional currencies such as the U.S. dollar, serve as a reliable store of value for investors during periods of high market volatility.

Expanding their scope with increasing use cases in cross-border payments and gaining institutional and financial acceptance, CoinGape speaks exclusively with Mark Boiron, CEO of Polygon Labs in this #PoweTalk.

With Polygon PoS emerging as the third-largest blockchain for on-chain stablecoin transactions, Boiron discusses the growing role of stablecoins, the evolving regulatory landscape, and future prospects. He also explores whether stablecoins could replace traditional payment rails and whether they can coexist with Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) in the future.

“Stablecoins are making it faster and cheaper to move money across borders—whether you’re an individual or a business. And as yield-bearing stablecoins gain traction, especially in 2025, they’ll likely become a bigger draw for traditional financial players, opening up even more opportunities in the space. This shift is massive, and it’s just getting started,” says Marc Boiron, CEO at Polygon Labs.

First appearing on the Web3 landscape in 2014, stablecoins combine the technological benefits of Blockchain—transparency, efficiency, and programmability—with the financial stability needed for quick adoption in the real world.

This includes BTC-pegged stablecoins like Pax Gold (PAXG) and Tether Gold (XAUT), and crypto-backed stablecoins like Dai (DAI).

Stablecoins Moving Beyond Applications of Trading and Speculation

Evolving from their mere applications of speculation and trading with BitUSD (on BitShares) and NuBits among the first stablecoins, stablecoins are emerging as a reliable asset for cross-border payments, peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions.

They are enabling cheap and fast cross-border money transfers, circumventing traditional banking fees and delays. They are also acting as the on-ramp to DeFi by facilitating lending, borrowing, yield farming for many DeFi protocols. For instance, Aave & Compound offer stablecoin-based loans, enabling users to lend stablecoins to earn interest or use them as collateral for crypto loans.

“Stablecoins have moved far beyond just crypto trading—they’re now playing a big role in things like cross-حداثه_قلب_وطن_من_جديد