Kevin O’Leary: Stablecoins as the future of the financial market – revolution or risk?

Kevin O’Leary: Stablecoins as the future of the financial market – revolution or risk?

Kevin O’Leary, der bekannte Investor und Unternehmer, hat jüngst seine Haltung zu Kryptowährungen grundlegend geändert. While he previously described Bitcoin as “trash,” the asset now makes up almost 20% of his portfolio. This change is largely due to the increasing acceptance of regulators worldwide. Despite these developments, the majority of institutional investors remain cautious as uncertainty regarding the regulatory framework remains a major obstacle. O’Leary therefore calls for increased regulation to realize the full potential of the crypto market, especially to enable massive capital inflows. In this context, he sees the passage of two laws by the US Congress as a crucial opportunity to expand the market by a trillion dollars.

The first of these laws, 'Guiding and Establishing National Innovation in U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS) has already been passed by the Senate. The aim of the GENIUS Act is to create a regulatory framework for stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies. O’Leary believes that stablecoins have the ability to revolutionize the global payments system by making transactions faster and cheaper. He sees these digital currencies as a serious threat to the existing banking system, which charges high fees for international money transfers.

Regulatory Challenges and Innovations

The second bill, the ‘Market Structure Bill’, aims to introduce comprehensive regulations for all digital assets. This legislation could allow companies to operate with a clearer regulatory environment and thus attract more capital into the market. A survey by EY and Coinbase found that uncertainty about the regulatory environment is the biggest barrier to institutional investment. Therefore, greater clarity could act as a catalyst for the growth of the market.

O’Leary also drew attention to the Consensus 2025 conference on May 15, 2025 in Toronto, where he blamed traditional forex and payment platforms for their critical stance towards stablecoins. He described these systems as “old, ugly and inefficient.” The stablecoin market was valued at $242.81 billion as of May 12, 2025, with USDT accounting for $151 billion and USDC accounting for $60.6 billion. Stablecoins offer near-instant settlement as well as lower fees compared to traditional platforms like SWIFT.

O’Leary predicts that if the Genius Act passes, stablecoins could not only dominate the cross-border payments market, but also significantly impact the profits of traditional payment service providers. He notes that Visa is already exploring integrating stablecoins, which suggests growing adoption in the industry.

In summary, O'Leary and other market observers see a key role for regulation in the growth and establishment of cryptocurrencies within global financial markets. A clear regulatory framework could lead to cryptocurrencies becoming an integral part of the financial landscape.

For more information about O’Leary’s views on regulatory opportunities in the crypto world, read IT Boltwise and Ecoinimist.