Maple Finance CEO Says Stablecoins Could Overtake Card Networks

• Stablecoins are entering mainstream finance, with PayPal, banks and payment firms adopting them for faster, cheaper settlement.

• Institutions are merging DeFi and traditional finance, using blockchains as core infrastructure for debt, lending and capital markets.

• Growing stablecoin supply and tokenization could drive DeFi toward a $1T market, fueled by institutional onchain adoption.

Stablecoins could process up to $50 trillion in transactions by 2026, according to Maple Finance CEO Sid Powell. The comments addressed global financial markets and rising institutional adoption. Powell explained how regulatory changes, payment costs and blockchain infrastructure drive this shift, reshaping how capital markets clear and settle transactions worldwide.

Stablecoins Move Into the Financial Mainstream

According to Sid Powell, stablecoins already show early signs of large-scale financial integration. Notably, recent regulatory developments, including the GENIUS Act, encouraged major firms to explore stablecoin issuance.

PayPal launched PYUSD, while Société Générale issued euro- and dollar-backed stablecoins through its crypto unit. Meanwhile, Fiserv introduced FIUSD for payment networks, expanding stablecoin usage beyond crypto-native platforms.

Additionally, Bank of America, Citi, and Wells Fargo confirmed interest in issuing similar products. However, Visa and Mastercard chose a different approach. They focused on building stablecoin settlement modes rather than issuing tokens directly.

Powell stated that stablecoins could eclipse card networks by reducing merchant fees. Retailers currently pay roughly two to three percent per transaction. Using stablecoins for settlement could lower those costs, returning revenue directly to merchants and small businesses.

DeFi Becomes Infrastructure, Not a Separate Market

Powell described this transition as the end of DeFi as a standalone category. He said institutions will no longer separate decentralized and traditional finance. Instead, capital markets activity will increasingly settle on public blockchains.

He compared this change to the rise of e-commerce, where technology reshaped commerce without altering demand. Similarly, Powell expects blockchains to serve as financial infrastructure rather than niche tools.

Debt markets could adopt crypto-native structures, including BTC-backed mortgages and asset-backed securities tied to crypto loans. He also said crypto card receivables could be securitized and sold into capital markets, expanding onchain financial products.

Institutions, Liquidity and DeFi Market Growth

Powell identified sovereign wealth funds, pension managers, insurers and large asset managers as primary users of onchain finance. He referred to these participants as holders of future “onchain paper.”

He also compared major stablecoin issuers to insurance firms like Berkshire Hathaway. Issuers earn yields on deposited funds while paying no interest, creating a negative cost of capital.

Finally, Powell estimated the DeFi market could reach $1 trillion within several years. CoinMarketCap currently places the sector near $69 billion. He linked future growth directly to expanding stablecoin supply and asset tokenization.