Circle CEO Predicts: Stablecoins’ ‘iPhone Moment’ Is Just Around the Corner

Brace for impact—stablecoins are about to flip the script on global finance. Circle’s CEO Jeremy Allaire just dropped the mic, comparing the coming stablecoin revolution to Apple’s 2007 game-changer. No vague hype here: he’s betting on regulatory clarity and mass adoption turbocharging the sector within 18 months.

Why this matters now

Forget speculative crypto rollercoasters—stablecoins are quietly becoming the plumbing of decentralized finance. With daily transaction volumes now rivaling Visa’s network (yes, really), these dollar-pegged tokens are eating traditional payment rails for breakfast. Allaire’s company USDC processes more value monthly than some national GDPs—but he insists we’re still in ‘dial-up mode’ compared to what’s coming.

The cynical footnote

Wall Street banks—currently scrambling to launch their own stablecoins—will suddenly ‘discover’ the technology’s potential once their profit margins are at stake. How revolutionary.

Major Retailers Eye Stablecoins

Based on reports, Walmart and Amazon have quietly started looking into their own US dollar‑backed coins. Those moves put stablecoins on the radar of every merchant and payment provider.

Shopify, for its part, plans to let merchants accept USDC by June 13. A select group of sellers will get early access through a collaboration with Coinbase. Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke said they think stablecoins are a natural way to pay online, and they’ve built a smart contract to make it work.

Shopify will enable USDC (Stablecoins on @Base) in Checkout via Shopify Payments and Shop Pay. Early access starts today, roll out throughout the year.

We think that stablecoins are a natural way to transact on the Internet and worked with coinbase to develop the commerce… pic.twitter.com/o6jme8kSha

— tobi lutke (@tobi) June 12, 2025

Developers Still On the Sidelines

According to Allaire, we’re “not quite yet” at the point where every coder sees programmable dollars as a go‑to tool. Teams still rely on card networks and bank APIs because those are tried and tested.

The highest utility FORM of money ever created. And we are not quite yet at the iPhone moment when developers everywhere realize the power and opportunity of programmable digital dollars on the Internet in the same way they saw the unlock of programmable mobile devices. Soon. https://t.co/tAKgDFrAbW

— Jeremy Allaire – jda.eth / jdallaire.sol (@jerallaire) June 14, 2025

To flip the switch, stablecoin platforms will need better software kits, clearer guidelines on legal and tax rules, and more examples of success. Once these pieces are in place, developers might finally MOVE from curiosity to full‑blown adoption.

Data scientist Daren Matsuoka highlights that stablecoins processed about $33 trillion in transactions over the past year. That’s almost 20 times more than PayPal and nearly three times the volume Visa handled.

Stablecoins now present what I believe is the first credible opportunity to onboard a billion people into crypto.

If you haven’t checked in on the latest stablecoin data recently, you might be surprised. Stablecoins have done $33 trillion in transaction volume in the last 12… pic.twitter.com/3E7uLEwwdQ

— Daren Matsuoka (@DarenMatsuoka) June 6, 2025

Those figures make it hard to ignore the scale of demand for digital dollars. If that trend continues, it will change the way people send money, shop online, or even trade cryptocurrencies.

Meanwhile, Circle’s own debut on the New York Stock Exchange on June 5 showed investors are hungry for winners in this space. The stock soared over 160% on day one of trading. That surge sent a message: if stablecoins do hit a mass‑adoption moment, the payoff could be huge.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView