Swyftx: AI micro-enterprises or driving stablecoin trading volume to reach $262 billion by 2033

According to the second quarter industry report from the Australian cryptocurrency exchange Swyftx, the global gig and freelance payment market is expected to reach $2.1 trillion by 2033, with AI-native practitioners contributing $775 billion.

Under the assumption of approximately 33% adoption rate, Swyftx's benchmark model predicts that $262 billion of this will be settled through stablecoins. Swyftx's Chief Market Analyst Pav Hundal stated that micro-enterprises with fewer than five people are becoming the fastest adopters of AI, giving rise to a group of independent entrepreneurs operating cross-border and invoicing at high frequencies, currently numbering about 6 to 10 million globally, expected to increase to 17 million within a decade.

Traditional cross-border payment fees are high and settlements take several days, while transferring stablecoins via Ethereum Layer 2 networks can reduce costs by 80% to 90%. Swyftx added that if the predictions come true, the institutional settlement layer providing off-exchange liquidity, custody, and yield services for these payments could capture up to $1.3 billion in new revenue by 2033. The market capitalization of stablecoins has doubled in the past two years, with June trading volume reaching a historic high of $1.79 trillion.