Citi Projects Stablecoin Market Could Reach $4 Trillion by 2030

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Citi Projects Stablecoin Market Could Reach $4 Trillion by 2030 – Crypto News

Published

10 months ago

September 28, 2025

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Rising use in Hong Kong, the UAE, and other markets underscores stablecoins’ growing global footprint.

Citi projects that stablecoins could reach $1.9 trillion in issuance by 2030 as its base case, and up to $4 trillion in a bullish scenario, according to a new report from Citi’s Global Perspectives & Solutions (GPS) unit.

That’s higher than Citi’s earlier forecast of $1.6 trillion and $3.7 trillion, respectively. Currently, stablecoins have a market capitalization of $295.79 billion, up 42% since January, per DeFiLlama.

The bank also projects that stablecoins could process about $100 trillion in payments each year by 2030, or up to $200 trillion in a best-case scenario. Whereas, bank tokens like tokenized deposits could handle $100 trillion to $140 trillion annually.

Stablecoin Market Cap

While the bank highlighted that these figures “may appear large to the layperson,” they are still relatively small compared to leading banks, which currently move between $5 trillion and $10 trillion per day.

“We see an ecosystem where stablecoins, tokenized deposits, deposit tokens, and CBDCs can all flourish and co-exist,” the report noted. “Different forms of money will find different product market fit with usage shaped by trust, interoperability, and regulatory clarity.”

Citi identified the main drivers behind the growth and projections as new corporate initiatives, regulatory clarity – including the recently passed stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act – and increasing demand from digitally native firms.

Growing Global Footprint

The report also found that on-chain volumes are expected to remain heavily USD-denominated, which in turn will generate additional demand for U.S. Treasuries. Yet, Citi emphasized that hubs such as Hong Kong and the UAE are also fueling growth.

However, as stablecoins and tokenized deposits grow, traditional banks will need to adjust their services, while regulators could face pressure to clarify rules for digital money, the report said. This shift could change payments, liquidity, and cross-border finance in the years ahead.

These changes could have ripple effects, particularly as dollar-backed stablecoins gain prominence. For example, local prices in emerging and developing markets could become more sensitive to U.S. monetary policy, “thereby reducing the central banks’ ability to manage domestic inflation,” the report notes.

The report also noted that efforts to defend the local currency against rising dollar-backed stablecoin demand could “strain FX reserves and increase macroeconomic vulnerabilities.”

Citigroup Inc. is the third-largest U.S. bank with around $1.7 trillion in total consolidated assets. Earlier this year, news broke that the bank was exploring plans to launch its own stablecoin, joining a growing list of major banks and institutions expanding into the crypto space.

Currently, Tether is the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, USDT, which commands a 58% market share with a market cap of over $173 billion, per DeFiLlama.