The Currency analytics
By James Thorp
Stablecoins changed everything fast. What started as a simple fix for crypto traders dodging Bitcoin's wild swings turned into something way bigger - a rock-solid tool for moving…
Now crypto wallets find themselves in the same messy spot that hit neobanks about ten years back.
Stablecoins basically turned cross-border transfers into a commodity, wiping out those juicy spreads that retail FX used to guarantee.
Card networks still matter, don't get me wrong. They give you access to millions of merchants and tap into local systems like Brazil's Pix that people already trust and use daily.
The smart play treats card spending as a marketing channel, not a money maker. Wallet operators need to focus on high-margin on-chain finance instead - stuff like DeFi protocols…
In countries where inflation runs wild, stablecoins work like a financial lifeline. Users park their money in digital dollars to avoid getting crushed by their local currency,…
Tokenized assets create the kind of stickiness that payments alone can't match. When users manage both their stablecoins and investments in the same wallet, switching costs go…
Crypto wallets that copy the neobank playbook will hit the same margin ceiling that crushed so many European challengers.
Senator Bill Hagerty weighed in recently on stablecoin legislation in the US, saying it could "significantly advance the country's payment systems.
Bitget Wallet reported some wild numbers on February 20, 2026. Their card spending volume jumped over 28 times compared to the previous year, showing that consumers are really…
Visa's partnerships with full-stack issuers like Rain and Reap show how traditional players can adapt.
PayPal launched PayPal Coin on January 15, 2026, aiming to cut transaction costs and speed up settlements for its massive user base.
Most companies won't comment on their specific strategies yet. The regulatory landscape keeps shifting, and nobody wants to get caught on the wrong side of new rules.
The European Central Bank released preliminary data showing stablecoin transaction volumes in the eurozone reached $47 billion in January 2026, up 340% from the same period last…