European Banks, Companies Shift to Stablecoin Rollout as Adoption Enters Practical Use Stage

European banks and companies are moving beyond reviewing stablecoin adoption and into implementation.

Cointelegraph reported on June 12 that financial institutions and companies across Europe have started preparing to launch services, including by selecting infrastructure partners for stablecoin adoption. Discussions that focused on education and understanding risks as recently as 18 months ago have now shifted to practical use after receiving board approval.

The change appears to be driven by the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, or MiCA. The rules replaced a fragmented country-by-country system with a single framework, reducing regulatory uncertainty and accelerating adoption.

Demand is also growing among corporate treasury teams. Companies want to use stablecoins to move funds faster, cut costs, and enable payments and settlement outside bank business hours.

Major European banks are also stepping up related efforts. ING, UniCredit and BBVA are pursuing euro-denominated stablecoin projects, while some lenders are using in-house stablecoins for cross-border payments, foreign-exchange transactions and cash-management services.

Demand is also showing up in transaction activity. Stablecoins account for a rising share of transactions in Europe, and transaction sizes are larger than those for Bitcoin and Ether, signaling their growing use as a tool for moving corporate funds.

The stablecoin market could expand sharply in the coming years. Chainalysis estimates stablecoin transaction volume may increase from $28 trillion in 2025 to as much as $719 trillion by 2035.