Chainalysis: Stablecoin Trading Could Balloon to $1.5 Quadrillion Annually by 2035
Stablecoins could handle as much as $1.5 quadrillion in annual transaction volume by 2035, potentially eclipsing today’s major payment networks, according to a new Chainalysis report. Even without major shifts, the blockchain analytics firm says current growth trends would push adjusted stablecoin volume to roughly $719 trillion a year — but two powerful catalysts could more than double that figure.
What’s driving the upside
Chainalysis bases its aggressive upside scenario on two structural changes beyond ongoing adoption:
- Intergenerational wealth transfer: Between 2028 and 2048, an estimated $100 trillion will move from Baby Boomers to younger cohorts. Chainalysis cites a 2025 Gemini survey showing nearly half of Millennials and Gen Z have held or currently hold crypto. If younger generations direct more of that inherited wealth into crypto and stablecoin-denominated transactions, the firm estimates an additional $508 trillion could flow through stablecoins by 2035.
- Point-of-sale integration: Wider acceptance of stablecoins for everyday commerce — from retail checkouts to digital merchant payments — could add about $232 trillion in annual volume as these tokens become common rails for payments.
Regulation and incumbents lining up
Chainalysis also points to changing regulatory landscapes as a supporting factor. The report highlights the GENIUS Act — signed into law last summer, per the analysis — as evidence that U.S. policymakers are taking stablecoin infrastructure seriously.
At the same time, legacy payment firms are positioning for the shift. Chainalysis notes industry moves such as Stripe’s $1.1 billion purchase of Bridge and Mastercard’s planned acquisition of BVNK (valued at up to $1.8 billion) as signs incumbents are building the rails now rather than waiting.
Current momentum and timeline
The report underscores a fast-growing base: stablecoins processed $28 trillion in real economic volume in 2025, and Chainalysis says adjusted stablecoin volume has grown at a 133% compound annual rate since 2023. If that trajectory continues, stablecoin payment volumes could reach parity with the combined off-chain transaction volumes of Visa and Mastercard sometime between 2031 and 2039.
“For incumbents, the calculus is becoming straightforward,” Chainalysis writes. “The blockchain is now the essential plumbing for the next era of global payments. The institutions that build for this reality now will be positioned to define it, while those that wait may find themselves settling transactions on someone else’s rails.”
Bottom line
Chainalysis’s projection is ambitious, hinging on broad behavioral and infrastructure shifts. But the combination of demographic change, merchant adoption, regulatory movement, and strategic plays from major payment companies paints a plausible path for stablecoins to become a dominant global payment medium within a decade.
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