Stellar's president Jose Fernandez da Ponte outlines why stablecoins have matured from speculative assets to payment infrastructure. Drawing on his PayPal blockchain experience, he identifies regulatory clarity, institutional interest, and real payment volume as drivers, plus composability as the technical foundation for RWA and enterprise adoption.
Jose Fernandez da Ponte, SDF's president and former PayPal blockchain lead, brings 20 years of payments and fintech experience to building permissionless financial infrastructure. The interview covers stablecoins' maturation from crypto trading to payment infrastructure. Three catalysts emerge: regulatory clarity (Genius Act, MiCA, central bank interest), institutional adoption decoupled from crypto volatility, and real payment volume in remittances, payroll, treasury, and stablecoin-funded debit cards. Fernandez da Ponte frames Stellar as "Linux for payments"—a permissionless platform for composable infrastructure using USDC, privacy pools, and compliance automation. Composability, institutional demand, and regulatory tailwinds unlock RWA and enterprise adoption on Stellar.
