The stablecoin market has surpassed $250 billion in market Capital , while real-time transactions via FedNow have increased 500 times in value to $245 trillion, signaling a new era for the payments industry.
The global payments industry is undergoing the most fundamental transformation in its history, as three key technological pillars—regulated stablecoins, instant settlement infrastructure, and autonomous artificial intelligence—simultaneously enter commercial deployment. Deloitte's latest research shows that this convergence is not only changing how transactions are conducted but also reshaping the entire financial architecture, with regulations Vai as catalysts rather than barriers as before.
A crucial turning point came with the US passage of the GENIUS Act in July 2025, establishing a unified legal framework for Peg -pegged cryptocurrencies with a mandatory 100% reserve requirement and stringent reporting obligations. This decision removed the biggest barrier to large financial institutions entering the market.
As a result, the total market Capital of managed stablecoins now exceeds $250 billion, while the cost of cross-border remittances through this channel has dropped sharply compared to the Medium fee of over 6% for traditional methods.
The real-time payment revolution
Alongside the rise of stablecoins, instant payment infrastructure is expanding at an unprecedented pace. The FedNow system, operational since 2023, along with the RTP network, has laid the foundation for real-time settlements operating 24/7/365.
In just one year, from Q2 2024 to Q2 2025, the volume via FedNow increased 20-fold, while the total value of transactions surged 500-fold to $245 trillion. Analysts at JPMorgan forecast that real-time volume will increase by 289% between 2023 and 2030.
A key technical factor supporting this transition is the ISO 20022 standard, which has become a mandatory requirement for critical payment systems. Fedwire will complete its full transition by July 2025, followed by SWIFT completing its transition period in November of the same year.
According to Deloitte's estimates, previously more than 72% of data in payment messages was unstructured and required manual processing. Adopting ISO 20022 enables the automation of compliance, fraud prevention, and data analysis processes, transforming raw information into a competitive advantage.
A further advancement is predicted to come from autonomous payments based on AI agents. Unlike content generation models, AI agents are capable of autonomously performing multi-step processes from invoice processing to liquidation management without human intervention. Deloitte predicts these agents will not only initiate payments but also automatically optimize cash flow, while the Vai of personnel shifts to supervision and strategic decision-making.
However, the accelerating digitalization process also poses serious security challenges. Visa currently deploys a system that analyzes over 500 parameters per transaction, helping to prevent $28 billion worth of fraud annually. Experts warn that with the development of AI-generated content, losses due to fraud will continue to increase, and success will depend on the ability to balance security and user experience.
Deloitte emphasizes that in 2026, the winning businesses will be those that abandon legacy infrastructure, proactively adopt instant payments, stablecoins, and RON networks, and turn regulatory requirements into advantages. Compliance will only be the starting point; the decisive factor will be the speed and quality of innovation deployment.
