Stablecoins are gaining popularity where traditional finance cannot fulfill people's needs.
That's the view of Alice Li, Executive Director at Foresight Ventures, who joined TheStreet Roundtable's publisher and CEO James Heckman.
Foresight Ventures, a Singapore-based Web3 investment firm with over $400 million in assets under management, has become one of Asia's most influential players in digital asset infrastructure.
"In many places, traditional finance cannot fulfill people's needs," Li said. "Huge populations in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia are still underbanked. That's where we see the strongest crypto adoption."
Related: Foresight Ventures commits $50M to support stablecoin ecosystem
According to data from on-chain analytics firm Chainalysis, between July 2024 and June 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa recorded a 52% year-over-year rise in on-chain crypto value received, totaling over $205 billion, ranking it the third-fastest growing crypto region globally. Many of the transactions in the region are small in value: more than 8 % of volume was under $10,000, signaling retail and everyday usage rather than large institutional flows.
In Latin America, stablecoins are playing a key role in economic resilience and crypto adoption. Chainalysis reports that Latin America accounted for 9.1 % of global cryptocurrency inflows during a recent 12-month period, with stablecoin-based remittances particularly prominent in
"People use crypto not because it's trendy," she explained, "but because they need it to buy groceries, send money to family, or access savings safely. Stablecoins make that possible."
The global stablecoin market has surpassed $315 billion, led by Tether (USDT) at $181.4B and USDC at $75.9B.
Stablecoins as the new financial backbone
Heckman framed stablecoins as "the single biggest thing that could change the world this year," estimating the total market opportunity at $10 trillion in the next few years. Li agreed that while the number sounds ambitious, the infrastructure now exists to make it real.
"As stablecoin infrastructure matures, you can move money better, faster, and cheaper — without even realizing blockchain is involved," she said. "The digital world is quietly consuming the traditional financial world."
Li noted that this shift mirrors other technology revolutions.
"Just like how the internet abstracted away the complexity of data exchange, stablecoins are abstracting away the complexity of value exchange," she added.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a fixed value, usually pegged 1:1 to a fiat currency like the U.S. dollar. They combine the speed and transparency of blockchain with the stability of traditional money, making them ideal for payments and remittances. Unlike Bitcoin, stablecoins aim to avoid volatility and function as digital cash for everyday use.
Adoption will move from necessity to convenience
Li noted that the first wave of stablecoin adoption is driven by necessity — users in emerging markets who can't rely on stable national currencies or efficient banks. But she expects a second wave led by institutions and developed markets, once regulation catches up.
"In the future, as regulators and issuers gain more global recognition, we'll see adoption expand into developed countries," she said. "Stablecoins will merge into everyday life — not as a crypto novelty, but as the default for payments, settlements, and cross-border trade."
Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund, echoed her sentiment, calling stablecoins "the invisible infrastructure layer that will power global finance."
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Infrastructure, not hype
Li stressed that the real opportunity lies in building the rails — payment networks, custody solutions, and compliance frameworks that let stablecoins operate seamlessly across jurisdictions.
"Crypto doesn't need to replace banks," she said. "It needs to empower them — giving both businesses and individuals faster, cheaper, and more transparent systems to move money globally."
Foresight Ventures commits $50M to boost global stablecoin infrastructure
On Oct. 1, Foresight Ventures announced a $50 million Stablecoin Infrastructure Fund, the industry's first investment vehicle dedicated to the full stablecoin value chain.
The fund will support projects across issuance, coordination, exchange, on/off-ramps, and payment-focused blockchains, as well as integrations with real-world assets (RWA), AI, and on-chain foreign exchange (FX) systems.
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This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Oct 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
