While altcoin market caps have not yet returned to their previous highs, the stablecoin market cap continues to hit new records in 2025. It has now surpassed $240 billion. Investors seek ways to optimize returns in a highly volatile environment without immediately allocating capital.
Stablecoin yield protocols are emerging as a key option for 2025. Analysts have presented strong arguments for this trend, and the topic of stablecoin yields is gaining increasing attention in the crypto community.
Signs of a Stablecoin Yield Wave
One of the clearest signs of growing interest in stablecoin yields is the recent moves by major industry players.
Ledger, the popular hardware wallet provider, announced on April 29, 2025, that it had integrated stablecoin yield features into its Ledger Live app.
With this update, users can earn up to 9.9% APY on stablecoins like USDT, USDC, USDS, and DAI. Users retain full custody of their assets. So far, Ledger has sold over 7 million hardware wallets.
PayPal has also entered the race. The company now offers a 3.7% annual yield on its PYUSD stablecoin. Following the closure of the SEC’s investigation into PYUSD, PayPal currently faces no major regulatory hurdles in expanding its stablecoin initiative.
In addition, DeFiLlama data shows there are over 2,300 stablecoin pools across 469 protocols and 106 blockchains. This signals massive growth in demand for yield opportunities through stablecoins.
The data also shows that the top 10 stablecoin pools have TVLs ranging from $335 million to over $2.9 billion. APYs in these pools can reach up to 13.5%.
Although many investors are waiting for an altcoin season to recover from portfolio losses, the current momentum points toward a “stablecoin season” driven by attractive yields.
Why Are Stablecoin Yields Becoming the New Investor Trend?
GC Cooke, CEO and founder of Brava, has identified key reasons investors are turning to stablecoins to seek returns.
He argues that unpredictable policy shifts are creating ripple effects across markets. Even traditionally “safe” stocks now experience wild swings over a single headline. He believes moving from stocks to yield-generating assets like stablecoin yields is a way to avoid directional risk — the risk of sharp price drops in equities.
Chuk, a builder at Paxos, also noted that as regulatory frameworks around stablecoins become clearer in the US, EU, Singapore, and the UAE, yield integrations will get easier.
As a result, stablecoin wallets could evolve into personal finance hubs, removing the need for traditional banks.
“[Stablecoin] Wallets can: Receive payroll. Issue cards tied to stablecoin balances to enable direct spending without converting to fiat. Enable P2P payments globally. Offer yield via tokenized money markets. This continues an existing trend: the wallet becomes the financial hub — no bank branch needed,” Chuk said.
But What Are the Risks?
Despite the optimism, the stablecoin yield market comes with notable risks.
Analyst Wajahat Mughal pointed out that fewer than 10 stablecoins have over $1 billion market caps. Most stablecoins still have market caps below $100 million.
Some protocols offer high APYs. Teller offers 28%–49% yields for USDC pools. Yearn Finance, founded by Andre Cronje, offers over 70% APY on CRV pools. Fx-protocol and Napier provide 22%–30% APY on RUSD and EUSDE, respectively. But these high returns often carry significant risks.
Choze, a research analyst at Amagi, highlighted several concerns. Many pools still have low TVLs, ranging from just $10,000 to $120,000, meaning these strategies are early and can be volatile.
Some rewards rely on ecosystem tokens. Strategies often involve multiple protocols, adding complexity. He warned that investors should pay attention to the long-term growth of each project’s ecosystem.
“The opportunities are real, especially for those who know how to navigate smaller, emerging farms. But it’s important to understand what you’re actually farming: Not just stable yield, but also ecosystem growth and early stage incentives,” Choze said.
Investors may also face risks such as lending or staking platforms for stablecoins being hacked, exploited for vulnerabilities, or experiencing technical failures, all of which can lead to loss of funds. Some algorithmic or less reputable stablecoins may also lose their peg to the dollar.
Still, one cannot deny the growing role of stablecoins. With attractive yields and strong real-world payment use cases, they reshape how investors engage with crypto markets.
This opens up new ways to earn profits without relying solely on the next altcoin season.
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