According to Haseeb Qureshi, a managing partner at Dragonfly Capital, stablecoins are about to break free from their traditional roles in trading and speculation to become an essential tool for real-world financial applications. In a post on X on Jan. 1, Qureshi laid out his predictions for 2025, including one on the role of stablecoins in small and medium-sized business payments.
My 2025 Crypto Predictions
I'm either going to look like a prophet or an idiot over these predictions, but one thing is for sure: I'm going to piss off a lot of people with bags.
Breaking this up into six sections: my predictions for L1s/L2s, token launches, stablecoins,…
— Haseeb ＞|＜ (@hosseeb) January 1, 2025
Stablecoins will change how SMBs function when settling or closing transactions,” said Qureshi, citing the relative speed and access compared to incumbent options for sending and receiving. The instant settlement option has always had the potential for much greater mainstream adoption. However, developing U.S. regulatory clarity would help usher in a generation of bank-issued stablecoins.
U.S. Banks Poised To Lead Stablecoin Revolution
Qureshi sees the U.S. banks leading the charge in issuing stablecoins, if not the creation of their digital currencies for payment. But even then, he says, the established issuers will remain dominant, particularly under the new Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick.
This optimism is in tune with recent conclusions made by strategists at Citi Wealth, who called the use of stablecoins one means to “reinforce the U.S. dollar’s dominance.” The strategists mentioned the record $5.5 trillion in the value of stablecoin transactions reached in Q1 2024 as proof of their rising relevance.
Californian venture capital firm Pantera Capital similarly hypes the transformative potential of stablecoins, labeling them a “trillion-dollar opportunity.” According to Pantera, stablecoins now account for more than 50% of blockchain transactions, up from just 3% in 2020. As their adoption grows, the firm suggests that stablecoins will become critical infrastructure for the blockchain economy.
Beyond Qureshi’s forecast on stablecoins, he outlined broader trends likely to shape the crypto industry in 2025. He projected a convergence in layer-1 and layer-2 networks: developers of each will be working toward the same objective, speed, and responsiveness. This may blur the lines between these blockchain architectures, streamlining their usability.
Tokenomics will evolve, too, adds Qureshi: “The heyday of big airdrops will give way to incentives that reward utility, providing long-term value rather than encouraging short-term speculation.”.
The rise of AI-driven influencers and “AI agent” coins is another trend Qureshi anticipates in the near term. However, he predicts this surge will face backlash as users demand more authentic, human-centric interactions.
With stablecoins leading the charge in innovation, 2025 could be the year that finally sees significant adoption of these assets outside the crypto ecosystem. As SMBs and financial institutions increasingly adopt such assets, their role in modern payments may redefine how businesses operate worldwide.
If Qureshi is right, stablecoins will further cement the U.S. dollar’s dominance and make blockchain utility more usable and inclusive from a financial infrastructure perspective.
