Analysis: U.S.-Iran Conflict Triggers Banks' Withdrawal from Trade Finance, Commodity Traders "De-banking" and Turning to Stablecoin Settlements

Odaily News According to CoinDesk, escalating geopolitical conflicts related to Iran have prompted Western banks to accelerate their withdrawal from certain commodity trade finance businesses due to compliance and sanctions risk concerns. This has led to traders being "de-banked" and beginning to shift towards using stablecoins for cross-border settlements. Banks fear that seemingly compliant transactions might indirectly expose them to sanctioned entities, leading them to directly reduce or even exit trade finance exposure in related regions. Consequently, traditional financial payment and settlement channels are continuously tightening. Stablecoins, especially USDT pegged to the U.S. dollar, are becoming alternative settlement tools, with their usage frequency rising in emerging market trade payments. Data shows the stablecoin market cap has exceeded $300 billion, with on-chain transaction volume surpassing $4 trillion, accounting for approximately 30% of overall on-chain activity.