For years, stablecoins were seen as tools for crypto traders and fringe fintech startups. Volatile in reputation, if not in price, and far removed from the day-to-day priorities of enterprise finance teams.
That perception is changing.
Stablecoins are now gaining credibility not as speculative assets, but as infrastructure. They offer a new way to move money globally with greater speed, transparency and control. For CFOs and treasurers dealing with cross-border liquidity and payments challenges, stablecoins present a practical solution to the longstanding problem of liquidity latency.
The primary benefit is faster settlements, but the implications go far beyond speed. Stablecoins allow treasury teams to improve capital efficiency, reduce exposure to float risk and operate with greater agility in markets where traditional banking rails fall short.
So, should your finance and treasury function be considering the use of stablecoins? Let’s take a look.
The Friction in Traditional Cross-Border Treasury Transfers
International treasury transfers can be slow. In many cases, especially when sending funds into emerging markets or ‘exotic corridors’, money must pass through multiple correspondent banks before reaching its final destination. Each stop introduces cost, delay and compliance risk.
Tanner Taddeo, CEO of Stable Sea, explained it clearly in a recent discussion with Trovata CEO Brett Turner.
“If you’re initiating a SWIFT wire from an account in the US to get money into somewhere like Senegal or Cameroon, you’re probably going to get eight to ten correspondent banks in the in-between. It’s super expensive and it takes a long time.”
Even when everything works as expected, treasury teams must plan for settlement cycles of five to ten days. That means significant sums of working capital are left floating mid-transfer. In many cases, companies are forced to pre-fund accounts well in advance to avoid liquidity gaps, tying up cash that could otherwise be deployed more productively.
This process is also expensive. Fees can add up quickly, particularly in corridors with limited banking infrastructure and fewer liquidity providers.
Stablecoins Enable Faster, More Efficient Treasury Transfers
Stablecoins, when combined with trusted banking partners and local FX rails, offer a viable alternative. Instead of relying on a string of correspondent banks, enterprises can convert US dollars into a regulated stablecoin like USDC or USDP, transmit those tokens across a public or permissioned blockchain, and settle into local currency via an integrated bank partner.
The most immediate benefit is the reduction in settlement time. This alone can create meaningful working capital advantages for companies moving tens of millions at a time. But there are secondary benefits too, with fewer intermediaries to manage, lower overall transaction costs and improved predictability in cash positioning.
“For example if you’re a large multi-national looking to move liquidity to someplace like Columbia or South Africa, the whole process typically takes five to 10 days. By using stablecoins and a local banking partner, it can be completed in anywhere from four to eight hours.”
Stablecoins are particularly useful in treasury scenarios where time is critical, such as funding local operations on short notice, responding to unexpected liquidity shortages, or reallocating surplus cash between global entities.
Maximizing Capital Efficiency
The real impact of stablecoins lies not just in speed itself, but in the capital efficiency this speed unlocks.
“Imagine you’re John Deere or Coca-Cola, and you’re moving a $20 million payment into an emerging economy,” said Taddeo. “That $20 million could be floating in the ether for seven to 10 days. Reducing that to 4 hours, the capital efficiency gains are remarkable.”
When large amounts of cash are tied up in transit, companies lose flexibility. Reducing float time from a week to a few hours gives treasurers more control over cash deployment, enhances short-term yield strategies and improves responsiveness across the business.
For companies managing dozens of global bank accounts, the ability to move funds quickly and predictably can also help reduce the need for overfunding and improve overall working capital allocation.
Many large enterprises deal with this common frustration. They operate bank accounts across the world, and on Monday mornings, their treasury team scrambles to rebalance reserves after weekend activity. Stablecoins, combined with real-time visibility tools like Trovata, could automate these rebalancing flows and reduce the risk of falling below reserve thresholds.
Why Traditional Infrastructure Still Matters
While stablecoins dramatically improve settlement on the blockchain, local banking infrastructure still matters. The final leg of the transaction of converting digital dollars into local currency and delivering them to a local account depends on the banking hours, regulations and operational readiness of the receiving country.
Equally, the FX conversion, compliance checks and payment execution still require trusted partners and robust controls. This means that while blockchain speeds up the process, stablecoins don’t fully bypass the challenges of emerging-market banking. Instead, they streamline the cross-border element, removing many of the delays associated with correspondent banking networks.
It’s also why companies considering a stablecoin strategy shouldn’t be thinking in terms of going around traditional banking infrastructure, but working most efficiently within it.
As Trovata CEO Brett Turner puts it, “On the corporate banking side, the bank is always going to be the foundation. Where it gets exciting is the innovation that can be built on top of the traditional banking infrastructure, just like we’ve seen with APIs. The end result is a mix that benefits both the banks and their customers.”
What Treasurers Should Consider Before Adopting Stablecoins
For CFOs and treasury leaders, stablecoins offer clear advantages, but there are also important considerations.
1. Understand Balance Sheet Implications
Holding stablecoins requires clear accounting treatment. Some companies convert immediately, while others are beginning to explore whether digital dollars can play a role in short-term liquidity management.
2. Be Clear On Compliance Needs and Vendor Selection
The parties responsible for FX, custody and final delivery must be regulated and trustworthy. Any vendor touching company funds must pass standard InfoSec and procurement reviews, especially for large enterprises.
3. Assess Strategic Fit
Not every use case will justify stablecoin adoption. Treasurers should focus on regions or workflows where delays and inefficiencies are significant, such as intercompany funding across time zones, high-cost corridors or short-notice payouts.
It’s also worth remembering that adoption doesn’t require a wholesale shift. Many companies are starting with pilot programs and limited trials before expanding to broader use cases.
From Concept to Competitive Advantage
Stablecoins are not a silver bullet. They don’t eliminate risk, nor do they solve every treasury problem. But in the right circumstances, they offer meaningful efficiency gains and a pathway to more agile global operations.
As Brett Turner says, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a smart cash transaction you know has happened, and then build all your analytics and intelligence off of that?”
That’s the direction the industry is heading. When treasury, finance, and accounting are all working from the same real-time data foundation, and when money moves globally in hours instead of days, reconciliation becomes easier, liquidity becomes more precise, and strategic decision-making becomes faster.
For CFOs and treasurers looking for a practical way to stay ahead, stablecoins may not just be an innovation; they may be a competitive edge.
To learn more about stablecoins, check out the PYMNTS session, “How Stablecoins Are Transforming Enterprise Financial Strategy,” featuring Trovata’s CEO and Founder, Brett Turner, and the CEO of Stable Sea, Tanner Taddeo.
