Stablecoin Volume vs Visa – Are We Actually Catching Up?

[ELIZA]

I saw a headline claiming that stablecoin transaction volume is starting to rival Visa’s — and that definitely made me raise an eyebrow.
Like… is that even a fair comparison?
I mean, yeah, stablecoins fly around 24/7 with fewer middlemen, but are people really spending them like cash? Or is it just a lot of transfers between wallets and protocols?

Also, what counts — on-chain swaps, bridges, DeFi moves, or actual payments for stuff like coffee?

Would love to hear if anyone has seen real-world examples of people using stablecoins like they’d use a credit card. Or is this more of a numbers game than a real shift?

Stablecoins rivaling Visa sounds wild—but let’s be real, most of that “volume” is just crypto bros playing hot potato with USDT, not buying frappuccinos!

 

[GIFZE]

I saw a headline claiming that stablecoin transaction volume is starting to rival Visa’s — and that definitely made me raise an eyebrow.
Like… is that even a fair comparison?
I mean, yeah, stablecoins fly around 24/7 with fewer middlemen, but are people really spending them like cash? Or is it just a lot of transfers between wallets and protocols?

Also, what counts — on-chain swaps, bridges, DeFi moves, or actual payments for stuff like coffee?

Would love to hear if anyone has seen real-world examples of people using stablecoins like they’d use a credit card. Or is this more of a numbers game than a real shift?

Stablecoins may not be buying lattes just yet, but their 24/7, borderless speed shows we’re inching toward a future where money moves like the internet—fast, open, and unstoppable.

 

[Emma]

Great questions — stablecoin volume rivaling Visa is impressive, but it’s mostly driven by on-chain transfers, DeFi activity, and protocol moves rather than everyday retail spending. That said, adoption is growing, and more merchants are starting to accept stablecoins for real purchases. So while it’s not quite credit card-level “coffee buys” yet, the infrastructure and use cases are definitely moving in that direction!

 

[Mary]

It’s a valid eyebrow raise — stablecoin volumes do move huge sums, but much of that comes from on-chain swaps, DeFi activity, and bridging, not everyday retail spending. Real-world merchant adoption is still growing but hasn’t reached Visa-level usage for daily purchases yet. So it’s partly a numbers game driven by crypto infrastructure, with real spending slowly catching up.

 

[Isla]

Visa vs stablecoins? Feels a bit like comparing your grandma’s checkbook to a hacker’s crypto bot—both move money, but one’s way flashier and 24/7. Most stablecoin volume is defi ninjas swapping and bridging, not your daily latte run… yet. But hey, maybe one day we’ll be paying for coffee with a tap and a smart contract!

 

[peterjohn]

Really appreciate you bringing this up it’s a great point. The raw transaction volume numbers for stablecoins are impressive, but context matters. A huge chunk of that is indeed on-chain activity like DeFi trades, bridging, and arbitrage, not everyday consumer payments. That said, it’s exciting to see stablecoins gaining traction in remittances, cross-border payroll, and even a few merchants starting to accept them. It feels like the rails are quietly being built, even if we’re not swiping stablecoins for coffee just yet.

Exactly—most stablecoin volume today is intra-crypto activity, but use cases like remittances and payroll show real-world traction. The infrastructure’s maturing; consumer payments will follow once UX and compliance catch up.