Tether co-founder Reeve Collins predicts that by 2030, “all currency” will exist as stablecoins, as part of a broader movement to bring all financial activity on-chain.
“All currency will be a stablecoin. Even fiat currencies like dollars, euros, or yen will run on blockchain—it’ll just be their digital form,” Collins said in a wide-ranging interview at Token2049 in Singapore.
He added, “A stablecoin is simply a traditional currency—dollar, euro, yen—operating on a blockchain by 2030.”
Collins believes stablecoins will become the main method for transferring money within the next five years, driven by the growing advantages of tokenized assets that traditional finance can no longer ignore.
“Probably sooner, because people will still call them dollars. But it depends on your definition of a stablecoin. Essentially, it’s just moving money on a blockchain,” he explained.
US crypto policy shift a major boost
Collins described the US government’s positive shift toward the crypto sector this year as “the best thing to ever happen” to the market, providing clarity and momentum for growth.
Collins argued that many major traditional finance firms had previously hesitated to enter the crypto space due to fears of government scrutiny. While some regulatory uncertainty remains, the landscape has changed dramatically.
The Tether co-founder said this shift has opened the “floodgates,” with traditional finance now rushing into the crypto market, particularly focusing on blockchain-based stablecoins for their practical advantages.
“Every major institution, every bank, wants to launch their own stablecoin because it’s profitable and simply a better way to transact. The floodgates are open, and what this will ultimately lead to is a world where the distinction between CeFi and DeFi no longer exists,” he explained.
“There’ll be applications that do things, move money, give loans, do investments, and it will be a mix of the kind of the old, traditional style investments, and then the DeFi types of investments.”
The appeal of tokenization
Collins highlighted that tokenized assets provide far greater transparency and efficiency than traditional, non-tokenized assets. Because they can be transferred quickly across the globe without intermediaries, tokenized assets also offer the potential for higher returns.
“That’s why the tokenization narrative is so strong,” he said. “The increase in utility from moving an asset on-chain is so significant that even the same two assets, once tokenized, can deliver greater returns.”
Challenges of a fully on-chain world
However, Collins acknowledged the risks involved in shifting global finance entirely on-chain, including vulnerabilities in blockchain bridges, smart contracts, and crypto wallets.
Crypto hacks and social engineering remain key concerns, though he emphasized that security is steadily improving.
“The old trade-off still exists,” Collins explained. “If you want full control, it’s possible—but technically complex. If you prefer to rely on a third party, like traditional banks, custodial services will continue to evolve, offering more robust options. Technology always carries risks, but solutions are advancing.”
