Stablecoin

XDC Foundation executive Billy Sebell argues that trade finance is blockchain's most significant real-world use case, citing a $9.7-trillion market and a $2.5-trillion funding gap. He points to the UK's 2023 Electronic Trade Documents Act and the US 2025 GENIUS Act, plus $18.9 billion in tokenized private credit, as catalysts for on-chain receivables and SME liquidity.

On January 21, 2026, CoinGate released its 2025 data report, indicating a structural shift in business crypto usage. The processor handled 1.42 million payments, with Bitcoin at 22.1%, stablecoins at 29.8%, and USDC orders up 1264% year-over-year. Merchant settlements in stablecoins rose to 25.2%, while USDC captured 83.4% of payouts as automation via API became standard.

Ripple’s U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD has been officially listed on Binance, where it will initially trade on Ethereum with XRP Ledger support to follow. Binance is launching XRP/RLUSD and RLUSD/USDT pairs and plans to add RLUSD to its Earn products, while RLUSD’s market cap has recently moved above $1.3 billion amid growing institutional DeFi use.

The New York Stock Exchange, backed by Intercontinental Exchange, is developing a blockchain-based platform for on‑chain trading and settlement of tokenized US equities and ETFs, designed to operate around the clock. The system will merge the NYSE Pillar matching engine with blockchain post-trade processes, support stablecoin-funded fractional orders, and rely on tokenized deposits from banks such as BNY and Citi to maintain continuous collateral. Its rollout coincides with the US move to T+1 settlement and a macro backdrop where lower interest rates and the rise of tokenized US Treasuries and Bitcoin spot ETFs are reshaping institutional liquidity management.

On January 21, 2026, Binance listed Ripple's RLUSD, extending the stablecoin's distribution to one of the largest crypto exchanges. Ripple said RLUSD is currently supported on Ethereum, with XRP Ledger integration planned, and CEO Brad Garlinghouse welcomed the listing as supportive for liquidity and adoption.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said Hong Kong plans to issue its first licences for fiat-referenced stablecoin issuers in Q1, describing the regulatory stance as "responsible and sustainable." The regime, passed in 2025, imposes strict reserve and redemption standards, while 11 trading platforms are already licensed under SFC oversight.

Ripple President Monica Long forecasts that by the end of 2026, corporate balance sheets will collectively hold over $1 trillion in digital assets and that half of Fortune 500 companies will have formal digital asset strategies. She links this outlook to the rise of regulated stablecoins like RLUSD, new U.S. legislation, and growing institutional activity in B2B payments, custody, and capital markets.

Bitcoin traded around $89,400–$89,500, down 1.6% on the day and nearly 6% for the week, remaining below the $90,000 threshold. Total crypto market value slipped to roughly $3.02 trillion, while major altcoins such as Ethereum and Solana posted deeper weekly losses, reinforcing risk‑off sentiment.

On January 20, 2026, Etherfi introduced its U.S.-focused Liquid Reserve Vault to extend access to its DeFi-native vault infrastructure. The Midas-powered product allocates USDC and USDT deposits across protocols such as Morpho and Sentora PYUSD, targeting higher USD-denominated returns with automatic rebalancing and compounding. The new vault complements Etherfi’s broader suite of liquid yield products for USD, ETH, BTC, and HYPE holders.

Gold's move beyond $4,800 has coincided with a surge in tokenized gold, with XAUT and PAXG drawing elevated activity. A CEX.io report says trading in these assets totaled $178 billion in 2025, including $126 billion in Q4, placing the segment behind only GLD by volume among U.S.-listed funds.