Stablecoin

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire outlined a scenario in which autonomous AI agents begin using stablecoins for routine payments over the next three to five years. He argued that these agents will require a monetary system that is stable, fast, and programmable, positioning tokenized dollars like stablecoins as a logical fit. Allaire also suggested that billions of AI agents could eventually conduct continuous economic activity on behalf of users, raising new questions for regulators and infrastructure builders.

On January 23, 2026, on-chain analytics firm Santiment published a list of the ten tokens with the strongest increase in whale activity over the previous seven days. The ranking features assets such as Cronos, Bitget Token, stablecoins like USDC, DAI and USD0, and infrastructure tokens including LayerZero and Mantle. The data highlights growing multi-chain capital flows and suggests that large holders are prioritizing liquidity, flexibility and ecosystem positioning over direct speculative moves.

Binance has formally applied for a MiCA license in Greece, with the review reportedly on an expedited track under the Hellenic Capital Market Commission. A spokesperson said the filing was made in Athens and that the exchange is in active discussions with the regulator.

On January 23, 2026, the American Bankers Association named halting yield-bearing stablecoins as a top 2026 priority, citing risks to deposits and community lending. Bank of America's Brian Moynihan warned up to $6 trillion could shift, while Circle's Jeremy Allaire and Binance's CZ defended stablecoin yields at the WEF.

Crypto payments firm Mercuryo has teamed up with Visa to offer near real-time crypto-to-fiat off‑ramps via Visa Direct, allowing eligible users to route proceeds to Visa debit and credit cards within minutes. The integration aims to lower costs and speed up cross‑border payouts, with fiat funds spendable at more than 150 million Visa‑accepting merchant locations.

On January 20, 2026, the American Bankers Association unveiled its Blueprint for Growth and put restrictions on stablecoin rewards at the top of its policy agenda. Senator Tim Scott released draft language on January 9, and the Senate Agriculture Committee set a markup for January 27, while major crypto firms oppose broader limits.

On 23 January 2026, Circle's CEO Jeremy Allaire argued that stablecoins should be treated as neutral financial infrastructure, similar to open protocols, rather than a competing payments product. He highlighted collaboration with banks and card networks and noted that regulatory clarity could determine which issuers become long-term infrastructure providers.

Binance launched a four-week WLFI airdrop on January 23, 2026, running through February 20. The exchange will distribute $40 million, allocating $10 million per week to users holding USD1, with rewards sent to Spot wallets by 18:00 UTC on Fridays. Eligibility requires net USD1 balances and full KYC, with certain regions excluded.

Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers states in its Global Crypto Regulation Report 2026 that cryptocurrency use cases for payments, remittances, savings, capital markets and tokenization are developing unevenly across regions, creating a fragmented global ecosystem. The firm notes that banks, asset managers, payment providers and large companies are increasingly integrating digital assets into their infrastructure and balance sheets, while analysts highlight strong institutional demand for Bitcoin alongside uncertainty over how much this interest will impact prices without major catalysts.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos that, within three to five years, billions of autonomous AI agents could use crypto and stablecoins to handle routine payments. He argued that stablecoins are the only practical foundation for AI-native economic systems, a view echoed by Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, while new protocols from Coinbase and Google aim to support this emerging form of AI-driven commerce.