The IMF published working paper 'Decrypting Crypto: How to Estimate International Stablecoin Flows'.
The paper presents a novel methodology – leveraging a combination of AI and machine learning to estimate the geographic distribution of international stablecoin flows, overcoming the “anonymity” of cryptoassets.
Analyzing 2024 stablecoin transactions totaling $2 trillion, the IMF's findings show:
(i) stablecoin flows are highest in North America ($633bn) and in Asia and Pacific ($519bn).
(ii) Relative to GDP, they are most significant in Latin America and the Caribbean (7.7%), and in Africa and the Middle East (6.7%).
(iii) North America exhibits net outflows of stablecoins, with evidence suggesting these flows meet global dollar demand, increasing during periods of dollar appreciation against other currencies.
Further, the IMF shows that the 2023 banking crisis significantly impeded stablecoin flows originating from North America; and finally, the IMF offers a comprehensive comparison of its data to the Chainalysis dataset.