Stablecoin payments reached $482 billion in the first nine months of 2026, marking a 45% increase from a year earlier, according to blockchain analytics firm Allium. This surge contrasts with the stablecoin supply, which grew a mere 0.4% to $305 billion during the same period. The growth is largely attributed to major payment firms connecting crypto to cash: Mastercard introduced its Global Money Platform with BVNK to integrate traditional currency accounts, stablecoin balances, and card spending; Stripe is expanding its stablecoin-supported card infrastructure with Plasma XPL to cover over 100 countries; and Visa is bringing stablecoins into international payments funding, with Inyo Global using Circle's USDC for cross-border payouts via Visa Direct.