Crypto in the modern age: How stablecoins are changing the way money moves

Crypto is increasingly being viewed less as an asset to trade and more as infrastructure that can move money faster and more predictably. Stablecoins sit at the centre of that shift, offering a digital version of fiat that fits existing financial behaviour while unlocking the efficiency of blockchain-based rails.

Effie Dimitropoulos, CEO of AUDD, sees this transition playing out across payments, settlements and everyday spend. As demand grows for tools that bridge crypto and traditional finance, stablecoins are  from the edges of the industry into practical, real-world use.

A change in momentum for stablecoins

Importers and exporters who regularly move funds between Australia and overseas suppliers are feeling the pain of existing rails. Traditional bank transfers can be slow, involve several correspondent banks, attract multiple fees and still be vulnerable to recalls or delays.

For businesses moving hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time, that uncertainty can be a risk on both sides of the transaction. What many businesses really want is money that moves at the speed of the internet, a smarter digital version of money that moves as fast as they do.. 

As Effie puts it, they are not looking to pay invoices in Bitcoin, as this would require a steeper learning curve, higher admin/overhead costs to enable a ‘new’ form of (volatile) value in their ecosystem. They want Australian or US dollars, just in a form that’s faster and more predictable to move than fiat. That is where Australian dollar stablecoins, like AUDD, are starting to find their place.

Trust matters more than technology

The use cases are compelling, but more widespread adoption will take time. For a long period, Australia did not have clear regulatory positioning for stablecoins, which made larger organisations understandably cautious. Businesses needed to know that this was not an unregulated corner of crypto, rather something that could exist within established frameworks of governance.

This is changing. Operators have strengthened their approach to audits and risk management. Regulators are outlining how stablecoins fit within broader digital asset oversight. The reputation and trust in stablecoin as a useful tool and infrastructure for transferring monetary value are growing in a positive direction.

“When people understand that the governance, controls, and operating models mirror the systems they already trust, but just executed more efficiently, then the value becomes immediately clear,” Effie said.

The focus on education and clarity is just as important as the technology itself.

Stablecoins as an enabler of infrastructure, not speculation

One of the most useful ways to think about stablecoins is to view them as financial rails. Instead of behaving like volatile crypto assets, they function as digital representations of fiat currency that can move instantly and transparently. 

This is why their strongest use cases sit in areas like treasury flows, trade payments, or corporate settlements. A traditional cross-border transaction can involve multiple banks, which often means long delays and several layers of fees. A stablecoin transfer, on the other hand, removes most of those steps, settling within minutes and giving both sender and recipient immediate visibility. Foreign exchange does not disappear, but it becomes a much simpler part of the process. 

AUDD’s recent milestone of passing $1.4 billion in organically generated onchain transactions is a reflection of this adoption. They are not speculative trades. It shows the demand for business-related flows across treasury and payments.

Crypto cards a key to usability

Stablecoins are contributing to consumer-facing use cases, particularly through crypto cards. These cards allow users to hold digital assets while spending in local currency, while conversion is handled behind the scenes. 

This matters because most people do not want, or perhaps are not familiar with, how to manage wallets or on-chain conversions every time they make a purchase. A card bridges the gap, giving users a familiar experience while the digital asset logic operates quietly in the background. 

Effie further confirmed this, saying a card “lets someone spend their digital assets at a regular merchant without thinking about the underlying process.”

On a global scale, networks like Visa and Mastercard are experimenting with stablecoin settlement, and payment processors are beginning to invest directly in stablecoin flows.

Future state: Stablecoins in the next five years

Looking ahead, stablecoins are unlikely to replace traditional money outright. Effie believes the biggest shift over the next five years will not be technical, but perceptual. The challenge is helping the market understand that stablecoins are not another volatile crypto product, but a form of digital money designed to work alongside existing systems.

“There’s an education piece that is fundamental,” Effie said. “That’s what will get us greater utility in five years, and more appreciation and adoption. People don’t need to understand every technical detail, but they do need confidence in how it works, how it’s governed, and why it can be trusted.”

As regulatory frameworks continue to mature globally, and as card networks, banks and payment processors invest further in stablecoin settlement, that confidence is likely to grow. Much like contactless payments before them, stablecoins may eventually fade into the background, powering everyday transactions without requiring users to think about what sits underneath.

What matters now is thoughtful integration. Stablecoins that succeed will be those that prioritise trust, transparency and real world utility, positioning themselves as an evolution of how money and value move.

To see how this shift is already taking shape in Australia and across the global financial ecosystem, consider AUDD. As an Australian dollar-backed stablecoin, AUDD enables faster, more predictable payments while operating within existing regulatory and financial frameworks. Visit audd.digital to learn how stablecoins are being deployed as  real payment infrastructure.