Tether’s Success Sparks Banks’ Interest in Stablecoins

Inspired by Tether’s success, the world’s banking giants are showing interest in stablecoins.

As Bloomberg News reported Saturday (Dec. 28), some banks are already there, with Societe Generale – Forge (SG-Forge) opening its euro-backed stablecoin to retail investors earlier this year. Revolut is reportedly considering its own version, as is AllUnity, a venture involving the Deutsche Bank-owned DWS.

Meanwhile, the report added, American banks are expected to follow suit once Congress enacts stablecoin legislation. A similar thing happened in Europe: the adoption of the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation and Tether’s decision to discontinue its EURt stablecoin has opened the door for competitors.

“Do I think that other banks will be issuing their own stablecoins?” Jean-Marc Stenger, CEO of SG-Forge, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “The answer is yes. It’s heavy lifting, I am not sure it will happen any time soon, but it will happen.”

He added that his firm is already in discussions with other banks that want to use its stablecoins, and is also exploring partnerships or white-labeling its techs to allow banks to issue their own coins.

Visa, meanwhile, launched a tokenization network in October for banks to issue stablecoins, is collaborating with BBVA on a pilot in next year, and is in talks with many other banks.

“We’ve seen demand from banks in Hong Kong, Singapore and Brazil,” Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s head of crypto, told Bloomberg. “We are actively engaged with a number of banks across the world at various stages of the process.”

As PYMNTS wrote in October, the scale of Visa’s network and its relationship with financial institutions around the world allow it to add stability and legitimacy to stablecoins.

“By enabling banks to issue their own stablecoins and integrate tokenized deposits into their systems, Visa could foster widespread adoption, reducing the risk of market panic that often leads to de-pegging events,” that report said.

“Moreover, as banks enter the fray with their regulatory frameworks in place, the perception of stablecoins as a credible asset class could improve.”

Writing about the issue last week, PYMNTS argued that stablecoins’ rise has become impossible to dismiss, as the currency continues its ascent as the foundation of cross-border and enterprise crypto payments and a bridge to traditional finance.

“Cross-border payments, historically plagued by high fees and slow transaction times, underwent a significant transformation in 2024,” that report said. “Blockchain technology emerged as a key enabler, offering transparency, speed and cost efficiency. Stablecoins played a crucial role, allowing businesses to bypass traditional correspondent banking networks and settle transactions almost instantaneously.”