Crypto's 'barbell': speculation and stablecoin payments drive adoption, Tempo's Romero says

Stablecoins are quietly powering real-world money flows as other crypto experiments than speculative trading have failed to scale, Romero said at Consensus 2026. What to know : Crypto usage is consolidating around two core areas: speculative trading and stablecoin payments, said Dan Romero, Stripe-backed blockchain Tempo's go-to market lead. Tempo is leaning into payments, building a network for enterprises with compliance and control in focus. Stablecoins are gaining traction in real-world use cases like remittances and global payouts, he said.