Moving money across borders remains a major pain point for global CFOs, as traditional payment rails and infrastructure can be slow, costly, and opaque.

Stablecoins—digital tokens typically backed by currency reserves—offer near-instant transactions, lower costs, and the ability to bypass legacy financial infrastructure, and usage is growing. In 2024, stablecoins were used to process more than $2 trillion in international transactions.

To date, regulation has not provided sufficient clarity for widespread adoption, but the situation is evolving as regulators work to create a safer environment for digital money. The recently passed Genius Act in the US sets out liquidity requirements and compliance standards for stablecoin issuers, including monthly public disclosures about reserves. Regulatory clarity opens the door to broader opportunities for asset transfers and settlements.

However, many CFOs still have limited knowledge of stablecoins, and more than 75% have no immediate plans to use digital money.

Digital currency may eventually catalyze changes in the market structure for money movement, with implications for governments, banks, merchant technology platforms, and digital wallets. Leading financial institutions and companies are starting to explore how stablecoins could improve treasury operations, liquidity management, and cross-border settlements. Benefits could include greater speed, lower costs, improved transparency, and even programmability (i.e., the ability to make transactions contingent on predefined conditions).

CFOs can start small, but they should begin exploring stablecoin use. For example, test stablecoins for low-risk use cases such as intercompany transfers and global remittances. Early pilots will build understanding and readiness as regulatory clarity increases—and scale into significant benefits as the technology and regulations mature.