February Marks Historic Moment as Stablecoin Volume Overtakes ACH Network
In February, stablecoins achieved a landmark milestone with transaction volumes reaching $7.2 trillion, eclipsing the Automated Clearing House network's $6.8 trillion in processed payments.
February witnessed a historic achievement as stablecoin transaction volumes exceeded those of the United States Automated Clearing House network for the very first time, representing a remarkable milestone for a digital asset category that hasn't even reached its twelfth birthday.
Data sourced from Artemis, a blockchain analytics platform, reveals that the aggregate 30-day adjusted rolling volume for stablecoins reached $7.2 trillion during February, outpacing the Automated Clearing House network's $6.8 trillion in transaction processing.
This information is derived from a 30-day rolling adjusted measurement of stablecoin transactions denominated in United States dollars, with MEV activity and transactions occurring within centralized exchanges excluded from the calculation, and then benchmarked against the daily average transaction volumes of alternative financial infrastructure systems.
"Stablecoins are quietly becoming the foundational infrastructure for global payments: no banks, no weekends, no borders," said analyst Alex Obchakevich in an X post on Friday.
The importance of exceeding ACH volumes cannot be understated, considering that this network serves as the fundamental infrastructure underpinning America's payment ecosystem. Information provided by Nacha, which operates as one of the two principal governing entities for the ACH alongside the Federal Reserve, reveals that approximately 93% of all salary disbursements in the United States are handled through the ACH network.
The compiled information further demonstrates that transaction volumes in the stablecoin marketplace have experienced steady expansion throughout recent years when compared against other prominent financial infrastructure systems, including payment giants like Visa and PayPal.
Information from Artemis tracking March activity reveals that stablecoin volumes maintained their upward trajectory, reaching fresh record heights of $7.5 trillion throughout the month while maintaining parity with ACH volumes during that same 30-day measurement period.
Stablecoin supply continues to surge
At the same time, during the opening quarter of 2026, the aggregate supply of stablecoins reached $315 billion, representing a growth of $8 billion compared to the corresponding quarter in 2025, as reported by data compiled from CEX.IO.
Additionally, stablecoins represented 75% of aggregate cryptocurrency trading volume throughout the quarter, establishing unprecedented record levels, as Cointelegraph reported in earlier coverage.
A significant driving force behind stablecoin expansion has been the increasing institutional embrace of these assets alongside an increasingly favorable regulatory environment emerging in the United States.
Financial experts from established traditional finance organizations including Standard Chartered have projected that the overall stablecoin market capitalization will reach $2 trillion by the year 2028, representing a staggering increase exceeding 530% from present-day valuations.
In a statement posted on Tuesday, Frank Chapparo, who serves as the content head at trading firm GSR, made the case that banking institutions or fintech companies will be "toast" should they choose to disregard the remarkable expansion occurring within the sector.
"The signals are everywhere," he said, pointing to the total supply growing from less than $30 billion in 2020 to over $300 billion since then. Chapparo highlighted the GENIUS Act as a key piece of regulation that has unlocked institutional adoption.