The legitimization is emanating from the Oval Office, as this week marks a historic first in the U. S. with a defined regulatory framework for stablecoin issuers and crypto companies, following the signing of the GENIUS Act into law by President Donald Trump on July 18. Already by Thursday (July 24), Anchorage Digital and Ethena Labs collaborated to issue the very first stablecoin compliant with the GENIUS Act and federally regulated. Consulting firms such as McKinsey rapidly issued guidance for their clients regarding stablecoin usage, while financial institutions like Barclays quickly introduced thought leadership initiatives to capitalize on the growing role of stablecoins in payments and banking. Barclays emphasized that the true potential lies in programmable money: stablecoins that can trigger smart contract executions for supply chain payments, real estate escrow, or capital markets trades. Against this backdrop, and with the new legislation in place, multinational corporations are progressively integrating stablecoin infrastructure into their payment processes — not as a means to pursue crypto profits, but to reduce costs, minimize settlement risks, and unlock real-time liquidity. Once primarily seen as a gateway for speculative crypto trading, stablecoins are now gaining traction for tangible applications like B2B payments, supply chain finance, and treasury management. Read more: Citi, JPMorgan Tell Investors Stablecoins Core to Future Payments Strategy Institutions Move In Thanks to Regulatory Clarity From Wall Street giants like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan to global remittance leaders such as Western Union, major financial players are considering adopting blockchain-based infrastructure—not to disrupt the financial system but to make it more efficient. On Wednesday (July 23), BNY Mellon and Goldman Sachs announced the launch of a blockchain-based solution enabling institutional clients to settle tokenized traditional assets—such as bonds and equities—with near real-time finality. This initiative fundamentally offers atomic settlement—the simultaneous exchange of assets and payments—a challenge the traditional system has faced due to fragmented infrastructure and clearinghouse intermediaries. Digital banking firm Atlas has started offering stablecoin accounts within its multicurrency banking services. Western Union, a long-standing emblem of legacy remittance systems, appears unfazed by the rise of stablecoins. CEO and President Devin McGranahan recently stated in a report that stablecoins do not pose a threat to its business. Meanwhile, JPMorgan is reportedly investigating crypto-asset-backed lending, providing loans secured by customers’ cryptocurrency holdings. Stablecoin issuer Tether is also reportedly on track to resume operations within the United States. CEO Paolo Ardoino stated on Wednesday (July 23) that the company is “well in progress of establishing our U. S.

domestic strategy” with planned focuses on payments, interbank settlement, and trading. Read also: 4 Questions CFOs Need to Ask as Wall Street Embraces Stablecoins Enterprise Adoption Surpasses Retail Hype Unlike earlier waves of blockchain excitement fueled by retail traders, NFTs, or Web3 idealism, today’s stablecoin movement is infrastructural. The emphasis is on latency, regulatory compliance, settlement risk, and operational costs—issues that trouble CFOs rather than social media influencers. This progress, however, is not without challenges. The stablecoin ecosystem remains fragmented across different blockchains, standards, and jurisdictions. Interoperability continues to be a work in progress, and concerns about AML/KYC compliance and systemic risk remain. For instance, JPMorgan Chase reportedly remains skeptical of claims that the stablecoin market will grow eightfold to $2 trillion. Even the GENIUS Act, while a pivotal development, leaves many regulatory details to be defined.