Stablecoin

Matrixport reports that while overall stablecoin supply remains close to record levels and exceeds $260 billion, the 12‑month growth in new issuance began to slow after late October. The firm links this cooling liquidity impulse to cautious Federal Reserve policy and notes that Bitcoin, trading near $85,860 on Tuesday with a roughly 3% decline, is struggling to maintain key bullish trend indicators.

Ripple Labs is piloting its US dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD on Ethereum layer-2 networks Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain, after first launching the token on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum in 2024. The pilot uses Wormhole's Native Token Transfers standard so RLUSD can move between chains as a native token rather than as a wrapped version, while a broader rollout and additional chains are planned for next year pending regulatory approval. RLUSD, issued under a New York Department of Financial Services Trust Company Charter, currently has a market capitalization of $1.3 billion.

On 16 December 2025, Ripple outlined a shift in how it develops RLUSD, treating it as regulated settlement infrastructure that can operate across multiple blockchains rather than a single-chain stablecoin. Following its conditional approval to act as a U.S. trust bank, the company is focusing RLUSD on layer-2 environments, emphasizing regulatory compliance, issuer control, and interoperability with XRP, while rolling out deployments slowly and permissionedly.

In a report released Monday, Bank of America said recent actions by the OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve mark a shift in U.S. crypto policy from discussion to implementation, especially around stablecoins and tokenized deposits. The bank expects a multi-year transition that could move more payments and real-world assets on-chain under banking regulation, and argues that institutions will need to experiment with tokenized assets and settlement models to stay competitive.

PayPal has applied to establish PayPal Bank as a Utah-chartered industrial bank, aiming to expand into insured deposits, business lending, and interest-bearing savings accounts. At the same time, the company is deepening its crypto strategy through the PYUSD Savings Vault on Spark, which advertises a 4.25% APY and follows an earlier goal to grow PYUSD deposits from $200 million to $1 billion.

Crypto industry figures urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission at a recent roundtable to recognize legitimate uses for blockchain privacy tools beyond criminal activity. Speakers argued that existing AML and KYC frameworks are becoming outdated in the age of AI and that cryptography-based solutions could both improve security checks and better protect user privacy.

On Monday, PayPal submitted an application for a Utah state-chartered industrial bank license to establish an industrial loan company called PayPal Bank. The payments firm plans to serve US small businesses with lending, deposits, and direct access to payment networks while extending the reach of its PYUSD stablecoin. The move follows a broader rise in bank charter applications by crypto-related companies and builds on PayPal's existing digital asset integrations.

Grayscale's 2026 outlook, published on Monday, projects Bitcoin to reach a new all‑time high in the first half of 2026, driven by institutional demand and clearer U.S. regulation. The report anticipates bipartisan market‑structure legislation and stablecoin growth under the GENIUS Act, alongside themes like tokenization and DeFi lending, while downplaying quantum computing and DATs as market drivers.

Tokyo-based SBI Holdings is partnering with Startale Group to issue a yen-denominated stablecoin in Q2 2026. According to the companies, Shinsei Trust & Banking will oversee issuance and redemption, while SBI VC Trade will manage circulation. The firms say the stablecoin market exceeds $300 billion and remains concentrated in U.S. dollar assets.

On Monday, Chairman Tim Scott said the Senate Banking Committee will not hold a markup on the crypto market structure bill this week, with a spokesperson targeting early 2026. The House passed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in July by a 294-134 vote, while senators continue bipartisan talks on ethics rules, stablecoin yields, and oversight.