Stablecon

Traditional finance keeps getting more digital, and digital assets more bank-like. From tokenized funds to AI-powered payments, here’s what made headlines in fintech this week: J.P. Morgan tokenized a private-equity fund on its blockchain, giving private-bank clients digital ownership stakes and moving one step closer to fully programmable finance The European Central Bank confirmed plans to pilot a digital euro in 2027 ahead of a full rollout in 2029 Citi teamed up with Coinbase to explore stablecoin payment rails for institutional clients PayPal launched Agentic Commerce Services and integrated its wallet into ChatGPT, making AI-driven shopping a reality Western Union joined the stablecoin race with plans for a dollar-backed token on Solana to power faster, lower-cost global transfers Read Nik Milanović's full roundup: https://lnkd.in/d3EWQdyR

Did stablecoins steal the show at Money20/20? For a fintech conference, it was striking how dominant the topic was. Main stage panels. Side events. Big sponsors. Every other hallway conversation circled back to stablecoins (and acquisition rumors!). A few takeaways/reflections:    1️⃣ The energy was real. But so was the feeling of confusion: “𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘴... 𝘸𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵.” That’s where a lot of the industry is right now: high conviction, low clarity. Many teams are racing toward a POC without clarity on which metric they actually want to move (beyond learning for its own sake) Here’s how I see it: • If you move money cross-border or deal with emerging markets, the opportunity is real and near-term. • If you’re mostly domestic? You’ve got time. Learn, experiment, but no need to panic. Domestic banks aren’t at risk of deposit flight anytime soon (it’s foreign banks that’ll feel it first) 2️⃣ Cross-border is getting brutally competitive Margins are collapsing. Everyone’s chasing scale, liquidity, and relevance. We’ll see a wave of consolidation over the next few quarters. But that “100+ currencies supported” claim is often not real-time, not cheap, and not deep. The promise for cross-border use cases is real, but there’s still a LOT of work to do on the infra side.  3️⃣ Stablecoins still haven’t answered the credit question. What does credit creation look like in a fully reserved world?  Is there a sweet spot between permissionless rails and the money-multiplier benefits of fractional banking? There are some very smart people thinking deeply about this.  It’s one of the biggest open questions for the next phase of stablecoin adoption. I'd love to hear people's thoughts here. -- Always great to catch up with fellow operators and swap notes on where stablecoins are heading. That’s what’s top of mind for me leaving Vegas. What stood out most to you at Money20/20 this year?

📰 This Week in Stablecoins: Western Union Launches Stablecoin and Ramp Network ⬇️ The stablecoin super cycle is in full swing. At Money 20/20 stablecoins were the topic of the day. Between acquisition chatter and some excellent stablecoin programming it was clear that there's broad exec level interest, even though many aren't quite sure how best to get started. I expect these gaps to close over the next few quarters as RFPs turn into POCs and folks get some hands on experience. 2025 is the year of awareness, but 2026 will be where we see more adoption. In the latest edition of The Weekly Stable we cover: • Western Union Launches USDPT Stablecoin and Digital Asset Network on Solana • Money Code Ep 7: The Future of Remittances w/ Mark Lenhard (Zepz) • Product launches, partnerships and fundraising news from Aave Labs, B2C2, Circle, Coinbase, Custodia Bank, Dfns, Hercle, StraitsX, Transak, Utila, Vantage Bank, Vast Bank, ZAR and more. Find the link in the comments 👇

Remittances are evolving, and so are the opportunities they unlock. This week on Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Mark Lenhard, CEO of Zepz (the parent company behind WorldRemit and Sendwave (International Remittance)) to explore how cross border payments are shifting from one off transfers to full financial ecosystems. Mark shares how sending money home is becoming more than just a transaction. It’s a gateway to savings, credit, and financial inclusion for millions across the Global South. As he puts it: “You can’t eat stablecoins, but you can use them to build wealth.” Listen to the full conversation on Money Code, powered by BVNK: https://lnkd.in/ddCtAMvg

What gives stablecoins real value? An ecosystem. Paul F., CEO of Plasma, breaks down how deep DeFi liquidity and productive capital are key to making stablecoins useful for everyday payments. He explains why liquidity and yield form the foundation of any payment ecosystem and how Plasma is building the infrastructure to make stablecoins truly work as money. Catch the full episode of Money Code with hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh, powered by BVNK: https://lnkd.in/dMj3VrNY

The future is interoperable! Brale now supports 2nd & 3rd Party U.S. Bank Transfers - so you can move value between any U.S. bank account and on-chain with one API. Build flows like ACH-debit → stablecoin payout, RTP -> stablecoin, or stablecoin redemption → ACH-credit to a recipient, all with your brand shown to the receiver. What’s new: → Full U.S. bank coverage for credits & debits + 20+ blockchains / 50+ stablecoins in one API → Preferred routes as low as $0.01 ACH → Plaid processor token support to embed bank authorization alongside your existing stack → Works with Brale-issued stablecoins and third-party assets (Circle, Paxos, and Ripple-issued stablecoins). Stablecoins are for everyone, and now they can reach every bank account. Ben Stablecon

Big congrats to our friends at Fireblocks and Cross River!

The Roadshow to Stablecon: Stablecoin Day brought a deep dive into stablecoins, AI, and global payment infrastructure to Las Vegas, and the conversations didn’t disappoint. Co-hosted with Stable and presented by Bridge, Persona, FORDEFI, Monad Foundation, OpenPayd, Turnkey, Oscilar, WalletConnect, Aleo, and B2C2. Thank you for helping it happen! And a huge, huge thank you to all our panelists who led thought-provoking discussions throughout the day. The next chapter of digital finance isn’t coming. It’s already here.

I am beyond excited to introduce Utila Link - Our institutional network, connecting #stablecoins to global #banking and #liquidity rails. As stablecoins become a real part of global payments, the biggest challenge for institutions is no longer why, but how - how to connect, move, and manage liquidity seamlessly across chains and banks. That’s what we’ve built #UtilaLink for. Utila Link bridges digital assets with traditional banking infrastructure, enabling real-time movement of funds and liquidity between stablecoins and fiat currencies - all through Utila’s institutional-grade wallet infrastructure. This is the next step in our mission to power the global payments layer for the digital asset economy - secure, compliant, and built for scale. We have an exciting lineup of launch partners (with more to come), along with several promising developments on our roadmap. Stay tuned - this is just the beginning!   Learn more: https://utila.io/link #connectingthedots