Trace Finance CEO: Stablecoin Scale Still Runs Through Banks

# Trace Finance CEO: Stablecoin Scale Still Runs Through Banks

> Evidence tier: B1
> Evidence type: Independent payments-trade summary of an executive-authored stablecoin payments column
> Source: [PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/cryptocurrency/2026/trace-finance-ceo-stablecoin-scale-still-runs-through-banks)
> Published: 2026-09-08
> Captured: 2026-09-09T01:40:36.985Z

## Source summary

PYMNTS summarizes a column by Trace Finance co-founder and CEO Bernardo Brites arguing that stablecoins can accelerate the middle leg of an international payment but do not replace banks at fiat entry, fiat exit, compliance and local-rail access. The article contrasts an estimated $208 trillion of 2025 cross-border-payment value with about $390 billion of annualized genuine stablecoin payments in late 2025, and says raw stablecoin transfer totals above $30 trillion include trading and automated activity. It presents an industry thesis, not a new Trace Finance launch or measured customer result.

## Why it matters

The three-leg framing helps operators separate blockchain transfer speed from the regulated bank and local-rail dependencies that determine whether a cross-border payment can start and finish. The scale estimates are attributed to FXC Intelligence, McKinsey and Artemis and should not be treated as directly comparable audited totals. Brites leads a company serving the market, so the commercial interest and lack of independent outcome evidence remain explicit.

## Key numbers

- **2025 cross-border-payment value cited from FXC Intelligence:** $208 trillion
- **Annualized genuine stablecoin payments cited for late 2025:** about $390 billion
- **Raw stablecoin transfer totals discussed:** more than $30 trillion, including trading and automated activity
- **Brazil Pix value cited for 2025:** more than BRL 35 trillion; 47% B2B

## Topics and entities

- Industry lane: Web3 & stablecoin payments
- Entities: Trace Finance / Bernardo Brites
- Web3 payments
- Cross-border payments

## Evidence and credibility note

Readable PYMNTS summary of an executive-authored column. The market-size figures are attributed estimates from different providers, and the banking-dependency argument is Brites's commercially interested interpretation rather than an independently measured outcome.

Date evidence: Automatically verified from article:published_time: 2026-09-08T15:38:12+00:00

## First-party corroboration

No directly corresponding A1 company announcement is currently linked.

## Original-source traceback

[Open the original PYMNTS report](https://www.pymnts.com/cryptocurrency/2026/trace-finance-ceo-stablecoin-scale-still-runs-through-banks)

---

This is a structured Payments Hot Markdown source summary derived from external reporting. Use the original link above to read the publisher's article; copyright remains with the original publisher.