Stablecoins are increasingly evolving beyond their traditional role as trading liquidity tools and are now becoming a significant force in global payments and digital settlement infrastructure.

According to Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, the rapid expansion of stablecoin utility reflects a broader transformation in how value moves across digital economies.

In 2025 alone, payment-related stablecoin flows were estimated at between $350 billion and $550 billion across more than 1.1 billion transactions.

At the same time, total stablecoin-linked economic activity surged to nearly $28 trillion, driven by stronger adoption in cross-border transfers, merchant settlements, payroll distribution, and card-linked payment solutions.

Insights from Bitget indicate that this growth is being supported by increasing institutional confidence and the rising demand for faster, lower-cost digital payment rails.

According to Gracy Chen, the average transaction size of approximately $342 suggests that stablecoins are no longer being used only for large transfers or crypto trading activity.

Instead, the data points to higher-frequency use cases involving smaller-value everyday transactions, signaling growing consumer trust and wider mainstream adoption. This trend also highlights the strengthening settlement infrastructure behind stablecoins, particularly as blockchain networks continue improving transaction speeds while reducing costs for users and businesses alike.

Bitget further notes that the next major growth phase for stablecoins could come from integration with large-scale consumer platforms.

If social media companies, messaging apps, creator platforms, or global commerce ecosystems adopt stablecoin payments at scale, the implications could extend far beyond transaction volumes alone.

Distribution through widely used digital platforms would position stablecoins as a practical global settlement layer, accelerating their role in everyday commerce and reshaping the future of digital payments.

As highlighted by Gracy Chen, the continued expansion of stablecoin infrastructure signals that digital assets are steadily transitioning from speculative instruments into functional financial tools with real-world payment utility.