Zelle Adopting Stablecoin Rails for Cross-Border Payments to and From US

Early Warning Services, the parent company of payments platform Zelle, said on Friday that stablecoins will be integrated into Zelle to facilitate cross-border transactions for money flowing to and from the United States.

Zelle launched in 2017 and already features near-instant payments between users that are integrated into the online banking services of many US banks. Early Warning Services said in Friday’s announcement:

“We’re investing where consumer need, bank capability and global opportunity intersect.”

The Zelle platform is collectively owned by the member banks that use the service, including, but not limited to, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Capital One and PNC.

The announcement came amid institutional adoption of stablecoins and blockchain technology, as the legacy financial system integrates blockchain rails for real-time settlement and cross-border commerce.

Related: Standard Chartered says $1T may exit emerging market banks to stablecoins by 2028

Stablecoin market capitalization crosses $300 billion as the sector continues to grow

Stablecoins crossed the $300 billion market capitalization milestone in October, according to DeFiLlama, totaling over $308 billion at the time of this writing.

The asset class has experienced renewed attention and adoption since US President Donald Trump the GENIUS Act into law in July, which established a regulatory framework for stablecoins in the US.

Dollar-pegged stablecoins, which were created as critical plumbing for crypto markets to allow traders and investors to store their gains in a low-volatility token, are now also used for cross-border commerce, remittances and savings for residents in inflationary economies.

Individuals and businesses in Latin America are increasingly turning to stablecoins to store their savings and conduct daily commerce as an alternative to traditional banks in the region, which often suffer from poor infrastructure.