Stablecoin Market Cap Expands Amid Broader Downturn – What Does This Mean?

Despite the bearish sentiment in the crypto industry, the market capitalization of stablecoins has been on the rise. This growth amid the overall uncertainty drove the combined market cap of these crypto assets above $219 billion last week, placing them $10 billion away from Ethereum’s market cap at the time.

However, at the time of writing, data from CoinMarketCap shows the stablecoin market cap sitting around $233 billion, surpassing Ethereum’s current capitalization by at least $3 billion.

Stablecoin Supply Is Growing

Usually, there are two primary reasons stablecoins begin to see an increase in their supply and, thus, market cap: a rise in buying power or risk aversion.

Market analysts have always maintained that cryptocurrencies need to witness a rise in stablecoin liquidity for bitcoin (BTC) to experience a sustained rally. As with most bull markets, altcoins shoot up when BTC sustains an upward trajectory. With an increase in liquidity, users’ buying power surges, with investors positioning themselves to acquire more assets at lower prices after market sentiment improves.

The second reason, risk aversion, entails investors’ flight to safety. Since the market has been dumping for eight weeks, participants may convert their assets into stablecoins to preserve capital. This indicates that they are exercising caution and being even more careful in their investment approach.

On-chain intelligence platform IntoTheBlock believes the latter is the case currently. The firm stated that the growth in the combined stablecoin market cap is a strong indicator of rising caution in the market.

Stablecoins continue to gain ground amid market uncertainty, pushing their combined market cap to around $219 billion this week.

Remarkably, they’re now only $10 billion away from Ethereum’s market cap, a strong indicator of rising caution in the market. pic.twitter.com/35O5fbyeLW

— IntoTheBlock (@intotheblock) March 14, 2025

Could This Cycle Be Halfway in?

Furthermore, the growth in stablecoin supply raises concerns about the market hitting its peak for this bull run because such surges have historically aligned with cycle highs. However, IntoTheBlock insists that this cycle is still halfway in.

“In April 2022, supply hit $187B—just as the bear market started. Now it’s at $219B and still rising, suggesting we’re likely still mid-cycle,” the intelligence firm stated.

Moreover, historical data also shows that the market has peaked 12-18 months post-halving. Since the last halving was in April 2024, IntoTheBlock believes the bull cycle will likely end mid to late 2025, even though institutional flows and regulatory changes have reshaped this cycle.

Meanwhile, recent stablecoin activity examined by market analytics platform CryptoQuant reveals that investors, especially whales, are accumulating BTC, regardless of the continued correction in prices.