Share this article

U.S. Stablecoin Adoption Is Being Hindered by a Lack of Regulation, S&P Says

Institutional use of these cryptocurrencies will increase once rules are in place, the report said.

Feb 20, 2025, 12:50 p.m.
 Increasing the money supply is a hidden tax on everyone who holds that currency (Credit: iStockPhoto)
U.S. stablecoin adoption is being hindered by a lack of regulation, S&P Says. (iStockPhoto)

What to know:

  • A lack of regulation is limiting the use of stablecoins in the U.S., the report said.
  • S&P said once regulation is passed, adoption is expected to grow.
  • The introduction of new rules could change the stablecoin industry landscape.

The absence of stablecoin regulation in the U.S. is one of the main hurdles to adoption, S&P Global Ratings said in a Wednesday report.

"The lack of regulation is one of the main impediments to stablecoin adoption in the U.S. and has prevented a broader institutional adoption of stablecoins," analysts led by Mohamed Damak wrote.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

S&P said it expects adoption to grow once regulation is in place.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is tied to another asset, such as the U.S. dollar or gold. They play a major role in cryptocurrency markets and are also used for to transfer money internationally.

New rules are coming. The Senate's Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act mandates federal regulation for stablecoins with a market cap of over $10 billion with the potential for state regulation if it aligns with federal rules. The House of Representatives STABLE Act calls for state regulation without any conditions.

Advertisement

Some users are expected to move from unregulated to regulated stablecoins once a framework is in place, the report said, and this could alter the industry landscape.

"Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in on-chain transactions," the authors wrote, protecting users' savings from "local monetary instability in emerging markets," or to receive payments.

Wall Street bank JPMorgan (JPM) said Tether, which issues market leader USDT, could face challenges from proposed U.S. stablecoin regulations, in a report last week.

Read more: Tether May Have to Sell Some Bitcoin to Comply With U.S. Stablecoin Rules: JPMorgan

More For You

Solana CME Futures Fell Short of BTC and ETH Debuts, but There's a Catch

Solana CME futures first-day activity compared to BTC and ETH debuts. (CME/K33 Research)

When adjusted for asset market capitalization SOL's relative futures volume looks better, K33 Research noted.

What to know:

  • Solana's SOL futures began trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Monday, with a notional daily volume of $12.3 million and $7.8 million in open interest, significantly lower than the debuts of bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) futures.
  • Despite the seemingly lackluster debut, when adjusted to market value, SOL's first-day figures are more in line with BTC's and ETH's, according to K33 Research.
  • Despite the bearish market conditions, the launch of CME SOL futures offers new ways for institutions to manage their exposure to the token, said Joshua Lim of FalconX.