At MPE Berlin 2026, Hamish Johnston, head of crypto at dLocal, talks about where stablecoins are already being used in the real economy, particularly across emerging markets.
He covers their role in settlement, treasury and funding, and why they have become useful for merchants operating in markets where local currencies are volatile and traditional cross-border rails can be slow and expensive.
Hamish also looks at what is needed to make stablecoins work in a regulated payments environment, and why their long-term future may be as infrastructure rather than something merchants or consumers actively think about.
