Citigroup Predicts Blockchain’s "ChatGPT Breakout" by 2025—Bankers Already Drafting PowerPoints

Wall Street’s sleeping giant wakes up—Citigroup just placed its chips on blockchain going mainstream within 12 months. Not incremental adoption, but an industry-redefining surge akin to AI’s 2023 explosion.

The pitch? Tokenization of everything from T-bills to tennis shoes finally clicks with institutions. Private chains and CBDCs dominate headlines while DeFi quietly eats 5% of traditional finance’s lunch. (Yes, we’ll pretend 2008 never happened.)

But here’s the twist—the real winners won’t be crypto true believers. It’ll be the compliance officers and middleware vendors cleaning up the mess when legacy systems collide with smart contracts. Place your bets.

In Brief

• Citigroup forecasts a major turning point for blockchain in 2025, comparable to the ChatGPT effect in AI.
• The stablecoin market could reach $3.7 trillion by 2030.
• The Trump administration and the GENIUS Act support clear regulation of stablecoins.
• USDT and USDC dominate 90% of the market, but depegging risks, as in 2023, remain a major threat.
• Blockchain could transform public systems by replacing centralized infrastructures with more efficient decentralized solutions.

Towards a “ChatGPT moment” for blockchain?

At a time when stablecoins appear as the biggest threat to Europe, investment bank Citigroup estimates that this market could reach up to $3.7 trillion by 2030 in an optimistic scenario. Even in a more moderate scenario, their capitalization would be $1.6 trillion. This growth would mainly rely on a deeper integration of blockchain into the traditional financial system, thanks to clearer regulations.

Citigroup emphasizes that the recent pro-crypto stance of the Trump administration favors the emergence of legal frameworks like the GENIUS Act, which aims to regulate the use of stablecoins for payments. At the same time, stablecoin issuers will have to back their assets with U.S. Treasury bonds, thus strengthening their role in managing global financial reserves.

Between depegging risks and promises for the public sector

Today, dollar-dominated stablecoins such as USDT and USDC already represent 90% of the market, whose capitalization has risen to $230 billion. Citigroup anticipates that this American dominance will persist, even as China and Europe seek to impose their own digital currencies.

Despite this enthusiasm, challenges remain. The risk of depegging — like that of USDC in 2023 after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank — remains a concern. More than 1,900 cases were recorded that year. Finally, Citigroup notes that blockchain could also revolutionize public systems by replacing centralized infrastructures with more efficient and transparent decentralized models.

As regulation aligns and institutional adoption accelerates, stablecoins could become the backbone of global digital finance! Especially since Russia is preparing to launch its own stablecoin and definitively move away from USDT. While challenges remain, Citigroup foresees a future where blockchain is no longer a promise, but a key infrastructure for the financial and public systems of tomorrow.

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