Large companies looking to modernize payments and AI agents performing autonomous transactions are emerging as the two biggest growth drivers for stablecoins, executives from Bridge and Deus X Capital said Thursday at Consensus 2026 in Miami.
Lindsey Einhaus – who leads strategy and operations at stablecoin infrastructure company Bridge, acquired by Stripe for $1.1 billion – said the next two years would likely bring a wave of institutional stablecoin adoption, particularly for cross-border payments and internal treasury operations.
“Large institutions are looking to use stablecoins to manage cross-border flows and are reducing much of their stablecoin account management,” Einhaus said.
She highlighted payments-focused blockchains like Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm, as key enablers for broader adoption. Existing blockchains historically lacked features common to traditional payment systems, such as refunds, chargebacks and private transactions, she argued.
The next area of growth could come from AI-powered micropayments.
According to Einhaus, blockchain-based stablecoin rails could finally make small internet payments economically viable by cutting out costly intermediaries and reducing transaction fees. Historically, micropayments failed because transaction costs often exceeded the value transferred, while crypto payments introduced price volatility that discouraged spending.
“With native stablecoin blockchains, you’re going to significantly reduce transaction costs,” she said.
Tim Grant, CEO of Deus
“We underestimate the boom in agent payments that is about to happen,” Grant said.
At the same time, he warned that infrastructure remains fragmented across multiple blockchains and wallets, while regulation around autonomous financial activity continues to evolve.
Grant took an overall more cautious tone regarding the pace of stablecoin adoption. While optimistic about the long term, he argued that the industry still faces hurdles in regulation, consumer onboarding and institutional coordination.
He acknowledges, however, that institutional sentiment has changed significantly as regulators become more supportive.
“Before, you had to push institutions to pay attention to it,” Grant said. “Now they’re shooting.”
