Standard Chartered has launched spot buying and selling for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) by its institutional crypto platform, increasing its presence in digital belongings simply as U.S. regulatory and investor consideration turns sharply towards stablecoins.
The launch follows a collection of high-level conferences throughout Washington, New York, and Boston, the place Geoffrey Kendrick, the financial institution’s Head of Digital Belongings Analysis, spent the week of July 7 to July 11 participating with crypto-native corporations, Bitcoin miners, funds, and policymakers.
In keeping with Kendrick, practically 90% of the discussions centered on stablecoins, regardless of Bitcoin hitting new file highs.
Regulatory tailwinds
Curiosity in stablecoins has surged because the GENIUS Act, a U.S. invoice that goals to determine clear guidelines for fiat-backed digital belongings, nears passage.
Kendrick mentioned the laws might turn out to be regulation as early as this week, setting the stage for fast growth of the U.S. stablecoin market and unlocking broader adoption throughout monetary establishments and public-sector entities.
Kendrick famous that purchasers now project a stablecoin market size of $750 billion by the tip of 2026, up from roughly $250 billion as of July 15.
With regulatory readability, stablecoin issuance is predicted to broaden considerably, not solely by main monetary gamers however doubtlessly additionally regional banks and native governments exploring tokenized money devices.
Past adoption, discussions additionally touched on macroeconomic implications: attainable shifts within the U.S. Treasury curve, long-term results on greenback liquidity, U.S. cost system reform, and stablecoin-driven monetary stability dangers in rising markets.
Stablecoin infrastructure
Commonplace Chartered’s report means that the broader stablecoin sector could also be evolving sooner than beforehand anticipated.
Kendrick highlighted that the Digital Asset Market Readability Act, a separate legislative effort, might move by late September or early October, doubtlessly accelerating the tokenization of real-world belongings (RWAs) and the combination of DeFi rails.
On-chain knowledge reveals constant progress in stablecoin balances throughout all pockets sizes, together with centralized exchanges, DeFi platforms, and mid-sized retail wallets, indicating broadening use instances and rising world demand.
Kendrick’s findings and Commonplace Chartered’s buying and selling desk launch replicate a pivotal shift in institutional crypto technique. Whereas Bitcoin’s role as a store of value remains intact, the infrastructure and coverage agenda now seem firmly centered on stablecoins because the spine of programmable cash.
