Money is quietly turning into code. And it does not need a bank to move.
Opinion — the views expressed are the author's own.
We assume money moves through banks. That assumption is quietly breaking.
Stablecoins now hold more than 320 billion dollars. The research firm 21Shares expects that to pass one trillion by the end of this year.
Last January alone, stablecoin networks moved over 10 trillion dollars. That already rivals Visa.
In 2025, the United States made it law. Dollar stablecoins must now be backed one to one by cash or Treasuries. Regulation turned an experiment into infrastructure.
When money becomes code, borders and banking hours disappear. Analysts expect stablecoins to handle a tenth of all US dollar payments by 2031. The shift is quiet, but the direction is clear.
If money moves like software, what is left for the bank to do?
