One of the most striking findings of the report is the diversity of use cases for stablecoins, especially in emerging markets. In regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, stablecoins have become vital tools for cross-border remittances. These areas often suffer from expensive and unreliable financial infrastructure, which makes sending money across borders time-consuming and costly. Stablecoins, with their low fees and near-instant settlement, offer a compelling alternative. Local businesses and individuals are using these digital assets not just to move funds internationally but also to preserve value in economies facing inflation or currency volatility. In Latin America, particularly, companies such as El Dorado and ShieldPay provide services that leverage stablecoins for both peer-to-peer and business payments, often abstracting the underlying crypto infrastructure so that users need not interact directly with blockchain technology.
The report also notes that the selection of blockchain platforms for stablecoin transactions is driven more by destination-specific needs than by user preferences in the originating country. For example, the Singapore-China payment corridor is heavily trafficked and has influenced the platforms favored by businesses operating in that route. These decisions are shaped by a mixture of transaction costs, speed, liquidity availability, and regulatory permissibility at the endpoint. This finding suggests that real-world utility is now outweighing ideology or hype in determining which blockchain technologies succeed in payment use cases.
Another important development identified in the report is the rise of stablecoin-linked payment cards. These products allow users to hold stablecoins in digital wallets and spend them directly via physical or virtual cards at traditional merchants. This functionality effectively bridges the gap between digital asset ecosystems and conventional retail infrastructure, significantly improving usability and customer experience. In regions where local currencies are unstable, these cards give consumers an option to store value in U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins while still spending in their local economy. The seamless integration of these tools into everyday life is helping move stablecoins from speculative instruments into practical financial tools.
Institutional interest and infrastructure investment in stablecoin payments is accelerating rapidly. Major financial players such as Stripe and PayPal are incorporating stablecoin payment rails into their platforms, underscoring the mainstreaming of these technologies. Stripe’s acquisition of the crypto payments startup Bridge.XYZ for over $1 billion exemplifies the strategic bets being placed on blockchain-based infrastructure. At the same time, a growing ecosystem of tools—including on/off ramps, compliance services, and analytics platforms—is making it easier for businesses and consumers alike to interact with stablecoins in a compliant, user-friendly manner.
The regulatory environment is also beginning to catch up. In the United States, legislative updates like the proposed changes to the GENIUS Act aim to create a more coherent framework for stablecoin issuance and usage. These legal developments are critical for reducing uncertainty, encouraging responsible innovation, and enabling traditional financial institutions to participate more actively in the space.
The implications of Artemis’ findings for the payments industry are wide-reaching. Stablecoins are emerging as a transformative force, particularly for cross-border transactions, which have historically been slow and expensive. Their ability to provide instant settlement and lower fees threatens to disrupt traditional remittance services and international payment rails. Moreover, the integration of stablecoins into familiar user experiences, such as payment cards and mobile wallets, blurs the lines between fiat and crypto systems, suggesting a convergence of digital and traditional finance.