Bitwise CIO predicts $4 trillion stablecoin market as tech firms pilot payments

Matt Hougan, chief investment officer of crypto asset manager Bitwise, said that stablecoin pilots by large technology platforms could drive the market from its current $302 billion valuation to roughly $4 trillion by 2030. DoorDash, working with Stripe, is testing stablecoin payouts for about 10 million couriers across more than 40 countries, while Meta is experimenting with creator payments in the Philippines and Colombia using the Solana and Polygon networks.

Hougan highlighted the advantages of wallet‑address transfers that bypass traditional banking infrastructure, reduce currency‑conversion steps and speed settlement, potentially bringing millions of new users into the crypto ecosystem. He also noted parallel moves by Western Union, which launched its USDPT token on Solana, and Visa, whose stablecoin pilot processes about $7 billion annually. Venture capital interest remains strong, exemplified by Andreessen Horowitz’s $2.2 billion crypto fund, and regulatory clarity is improving through measures such as the GENIUS Act. Despite risks surrounding volatility, security and regulation, the pilots signal a shift toward treating stablecoins as financial infrastructure rather than mere trading assets.