Bernstein sees Coinbase, Circle as key stablecoin beneficiaries

Coinbase and Circle are poised to become major beneficiaries of the growing stablecoin market through their USDC partnership, Bernstein said in a report. According to Cointelegraph, Bernstein suggested that USDC's high liquidity and regulatory compliance could give it an edge in the AI payments market. The report noted that stablecoin growth is already being driven by demand for cross-border payments, remittances, card-linked services, and internet banking, describing AI payments as an additional upside factor rather than a core driver. However, Bernstein characterized AI payments as a long-term growth opportunity with limited current adoption. The report added that Stripe and Tempo's AI payment protocol processed around $5,000 in its first week, while Coinbase's x402 handled approximately $24 million over the last 30 days.