Stablecoins are transitioning from trading tools to global financial infrastructure.

For a long time, the market's understanding of stablecoins remained largely confined to a single role as "crypto trading mediums": they were used for exchange quotations, served as on-chain hedging tools, or functioned as foundational liquidity assets within the DeFi ecosystem. However, entering 2026, this narrative is being rapidly rewritten. The functional boundaries of stablecoins have extended from "trading auxiliary assets" to encompass payments, settlement, collateralization, yield generation, cross-border clearing, and even RWA settlement layers, gradually evolving into critical infrastructure within the global digital financial system.