Tokenized Trust: FIS Says Traditional Banks Can Mainstream Stablecoins

Core Insights - Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS) indicates that traditional banks are well-positioned to facilitate stablecoin adoption due to consumer trust and regulatory oversight [1] - The research highlights the potential for banks to utilize "tokenized deposits" to provide faster, cheaper, and reliable payment services while maintaining trust and safety [1] Consumer Sentiment - A survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers reveals that 74.8% would consider using a digital currency offered by their primary bank, compared to only 3.6% for unregulated providers [2] - Payment frustrations are prevalent, with 67.6% of respondents experiencing issues in the past six months, including slow online processing (41.9%), high transfer fees (35.3%), and card declines (30.2%) [2] Trust and Regulation - Trust and regulation are critical for adoption, with 42.4% of consumers citing security concerns and 42% worried about value volatility, which could be mitigated through stablecoin education [3] - Approximately 77.4% of participants desire stablecoins to be regulated like existing payment systems, and 66.3% believe FDIC-style insurance would enhance confidence [4] Adoption Drivers - Nearly 52.7% of respondents would only consider using stablecoins if at least 50% of merchants accepted them, indicating the importance of network effects [4] - Peer-to-peer transfers (45.1%) and online shopping (44.3%) are identified as the primary use cases for stablecoins, rather than international money transfers (11.9%) [5] Industry Developments - Visa has initiated a pilot program for instant payouts in USD-backed stablecoins via its Visa Direct platform, allowing gig workers to receive earnings in digital currency [6] - Mastercard has launched end-to-end capabilities for stablecoin transactions and joined the Global Dollar Network to facilitate USDG minting and distribution [6] Company Performance - FIS shares have declined 18% year-to-date, underperforming the broader industry and the S&P 500 Index [7] - FIS trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65X, below the industry average of 21.91X, with expected EPS growth of 10.5% in 2025 and 9% in the following year [9][11]