[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Justin Sun, founder of TRON, said stablecoins have already established themselves as a core payment network for global value movement.

On April 23 local time, blockchain media outlet BeInCrypto reported that Sun said the gap between crypto infrastructure and the traditional financial system is no longer a technology issue but a difference in the speed of regulation and policy.

The comments came alongside figures showing TRON is operating as a large-scale stablecoin distribution network. About $86 billion in stablecoins are circulating on TRON, and Tether's USDT accounts for more than 97 percent. DeFiLlama data also puts the figure near a recent record high.

Transaction volume is also expanding rapidly. TRON processed about $7.9 trillion worth of USDT transfers in 2025, and Messari tallies showed about $2 trillion in additional transactions in the first quarter of 2026 alone. The volume has been described as comparable to that of a global payment network even on a single-network basis.

Its influence is particularly pronounced in small-value remittances. TRON accounted for about 65 percent of global USDT transfers under $1,000 as of the third quarter of 2025. It has been analysed as functioning as real payment infrastructure by absorbing cross-border fund flows and institutional demand beyond person-to-person remittances.

The United States, by contrast, appears to be moving belatedly to build rules. Congress and regulators are now hurrying to set standards around the GENIUS Act, which contains provisions governing stablecoins. The bill centres on issuers maintaining one-to-one reserves and registration requirements, and includes a plan to place issuers above a certain size under Federal Reserve supervision. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp has also proposed rules to incorporate stablecoins as bank products.

Sun sees the regulatory vacuum as an opportunity. "Stablecoins have already become the base rails for global value movement," he said. "The remaining task is for policy to catch up to real usage." He also said TRON is already operating at that scale.

The remarks are also drawing more attention as they intersect with an ongoing legal dispute. Sun has filed a federal lawsuit against World Liberty Financial (WLFI), alleging fraud and unjust enrichment. The dispute continues over the freezing of about 2.9 billion tokens.

Market attention is focused on whether the pace of U.S. policy work can keep up with real payment demand. TRON is already pitching itself as infrastructure that dollar-based stablecoin users, particularly those outside the United States, can use immediately. Over the next several quarters, the key point to watch is how quickly the settlement volume already taking place on the network and U.S. regulatory frameworks converge.

Stablecoins are becoming the default rails for global value movement, and the gap now is policy catching up to real usage at scale. TRON is already operating at that scale. https://t.co/BfP28QmXfJ