Crypto’s reputation is undergoing a makeover as the sector matures.
Driven by regulatory clarity, technological innovation, and a shift toward solving real-world problems — particularly in payments and financial services — the industry’s evolution is coming to reflect a growing synergy between traditional finance and decentralized technologies.
As industry observers look to 2025, blockchain technology and stablecoins are emerging as key tools for improving efficiency, transparency, and speed in many operational and commercial areas. The increasing involvement of major financial institutions further emphasizes the transformative potential of these technologies.
Ultimately, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: blockchain technology is now a problem-solver with serious business potential.
Regulations Shape Crypto Use Cases
The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority published on Tuesday (Nov. 26) its cryptocurrency regulation roadmap amid growing digital asset ownership and plans to issue its final crypto rules in 2026.
The U.K. is working to keep up with the U.S. and Europe in the crypto sector as President-elect Donald Trump is wooing crypto businesses and when the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation is about to be implemented.
PYMNTS covered Monday (Nov. 25) how cryptocurrencies, and more specifically their underlying blockchain technologies, have gone from a solution in search of a problem to a solution in hopes of some regulatory clarity.
The implications for businesses leveraging these technologies, particularly ones operating internationally, are far-reaching and complex, potentially setting the stage for new norms around business-to-business (B2B) payments and cross-border transactions.
With the news Nov. 21 that Mastercard’s Multi-Token Network (MTN) has connected to J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys Digital Payments to streamline cross-border B2B transactions, leveraging blockchain for better payments is top of mind for B2B firms operating internationally.
The integration of the J.P. Morgan blockchain with Mastercard’s capabilities addresses longstanding challenges in B2B payments, including time zone friction, settlement delays and limited transparency. By enabling mutual customers to settle transactions through a single API, the partnership reduces operational complexities and accelerates payment processing across borders.
Meanwhile, Cantor Fitzgerald is reportedly seeking support for its planned $2 billion bitcoin lending project from Tether. Bitcoin has reached record highs since the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, with traders expecting the crypto sector to benefit from Trump’s support of cryptocurrencies.
Read more: This Week in Web3: Understanding Blockchain Solutions for Business Challenges
Stablecoins Become Hot Asset
News broke Tuesday (Nov. 26) that cryptocurrency exchange Kraken reportedly is shutting down its non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, saying it will move more resources into new offerings. The company unveiled its NFT marketplace about two years ago, during which time NFTs fell along with the crypto bear market but have not recovered as well as bitcoin and other tokens have.
In separate news, it was report here here Nov. 4 that Kraken is part of a consortium of FinTech and crypto companies that introduced a joint stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar. The aim of the Global Dollar Network, which also includes Robinhood and Galaxy Digital, is to accelerate the use of stablecoins worldwide and promote an asset that provides proportionate economic benefits to its partners.
And stablecoins are on the rise more generally.
The market capitalization for the digital, dollar-pegged currencies has jumped 46% this year to a record $190 billion, it was reported Wednesday (Nov. 27). The driving reason? Optimism about their use in cross-border payments.
“Blockchain solutions and stablecoins — I don’t like to use the term crypto because this is more about FinTech — they’ve found product-market fit in cross-border payments,” Sheraz Shere, GM payments and commerce at Solana Foundation, told PYMNTS earlier this year. “You get the disintermediation, you get the speed, you get the transparency, you get extremely low cost.”
Stripe announced last month plans to purchase stablecoin startup Bridge for $1.1 billion, one of the largest recorded acquisitions of a digital-asset startup. And other traditional finance companies, such as PayPal, have launched stablecoin projects of their own.
On Nov. 20, Coinbase Wallet began letting users of its USDC stablecoin earn rewards.
Ahead of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Holiday Season, PYMNTS took a look at how the loyalty industry is changing due to the integration of blockchain technology.
