Why Tech Giants Like Ant and JD Are Racing to Dominate the Stablecoin Game

The Stablecoin Gold Rush: Why Giants Move First

When Tether launched USDT in 2014, cryptocurrencies were still a niche experiment. Fast forward to 2025, and we see Ant Group and JD.com scrambling for Hong Kong’s stablecoin licenses. Why? Because stablecoins are no longer just crypto toys—they’re the backbone of Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization.

The B2B Trinity: Efficiency, Liquidity, Compliance

For corporations, stablecoins solve three critical pain points:

• Cross-border payments: SWIFT takes days; blockchain settles in seconds at 70% lower costs.
• Asset liquidity: Tokenized funds can be split or merged instantly, eliminating cash flow mismatches.
• Regulatory safe harbor: Compliant stablecoins act as a ‘passport’ for enterprises entering Web3.

Ant’s timeline is telling:

• 2023: Hong Kong unveils its stablecoin framework; Ant starts tech prep.
• 2025: Partners with HSBC for real-time tokenized deposits, then files for licensing within days of Hong Kong’s final regulations.

This isn’t luck—it’s a calculated play. Ant’s Alipay, WorldFirst, and ANEXT businesses already process \(1 trillion annually; migrating half that volume to their own stablecoin could unlock \)150B in new transactions.

The Tech Behind the Trillion-Dollar Vision

Stablecoins are just the tip of the RWA iceberg. Ant’s infrastructure reveals broader ambitions:

• Jovay Blockchain: A Layer 2 solution handling 100K TPS (yes, that’s 1,000x faster than Ethereum).
• DTVM Virtual Machine: Open-source tools lowering development barriers for enterprises.
• Interchain Bridges: Linking AntChain to Jovay for seamless asset tokenization.

This tech stack enables ‘millisecond trust’—think大宗能源 trades or供应链 finance executed on-chain, with stablecoins as the lifeblood.

Can SMEs Survive This Giants’ Playground?

Absolutely—but they’ll need help navigating: Direct - Licensing hurdles: 6–8 months for approvals like Hong Kong’s MAS.

• Tech costs: $1M+ for发行,托管,and跨链 integration.
• Liquidity challenges: Building pools and merchant networks from scratch.

The solution? Specialized consultancies offering end-to-end support—from license blueprints to轻量化开发 frameworks—because the future of finance shouldn’t be a monopoly game.