The total market capitalization of stablecoins has exceeded $300 billion for the first time in history this week. Genius Act and SEC accounting guidance have significantly boosted confidence in stablecoins.
This, in turn, drove institutional and retail adoption in 2025.
According to DeFiLlama, Tether (USDT) remains the dominant stablecoin as it accounts for 58.52 % of the market with a valuation of $176.241 billion. Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) follows with a market capitalization of more than $74 billion, while USDe, the third‑largest yield‑bearing stablecoin, holds $14.83 billion.
The milestone indicates the growing prominence of stablecoins in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem, and comes amidst market‑wide recovery after a volatile week.
Historically, Q3 is quieter for crypto, but 2025 reversed that trend and ended up becoming a record‑breaking period for stablecoins. Activity surged thanks to both regulatory clarity and growing user engagement. A report by Cex.io revealed that Google searches for “stablecoin” spiked following landmark announcements.
For instance, the US enacted the Genius Act, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new accounting guidance, which classified USD‑pegged stablecoins as cash equivalents. These regulatory developments boosted trust among both institutional and retail participants.
Impact On USD’s Global Role
The rapid growth of the stablecoin market is significantly influencing the global role of the US dollar, according to John Murillo, Chief Business Officer of B2BROKER. In a statement to CryptoPotato, Murillo said that this surge is partly due to last month’s slow momentum in major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether, which prompted investors and users to turn to dollar‑pegged stablecoins.
He explained,
“With it, the global footprint of the US dollar has certainly deepened, because around 98% of all stablecoins are directly or indirectly dollar‑pegged. This has been, for better or worse, embedding USD into decentralized finance, cross‑border payments while helping stabilize many inflation‑hit economies. In regions like Nigeria and Venezuela, digital dollars now circulate more freely than local currencies, extending the dollar’s dominance into the digital realm.”
However, Murillo warns that this growth carries systemic risks. The exec added that stablecoins typically operate outside conventional banking regulations, which raises questions about reserve transparency, liquidity vulnerabilities, and regulatory gaps. A sudden loss of confidence, whether from unclear backing or platform failures, could, in fact, destabilize both crypto markets and traditional fiat systems.
Additionally, as stablecoins increasingly operate within decentralized networks, they begin to function independently of US institutions, which potentially limits Washington’s direct control over monetary influence.
“The dollar remains dominant in form, but increasingly contested in function.”