According to a recent report, the United States is amassing bitcoin while simultaneously distributing dollar-pegged stablecoins to other nations. The blockchain data indicated in its Wednesday report, “North America: Inside the Growth of Agentic Commerce,” that the U.S. became a net importer of Bitcoin in 2026 – marking the first occurrence since 2022. Data indicates that institutions have been acquiring bitcoin this year, whereas retail investors are predominantly selling. “A dollar stablecoin is a way to hold dollars without an American bank account, and Americans already have one,” the report read.
“The rest of the world is pivoting to a digital dollar because it meets a need that American users don’t share. Meanwhile, Americans are leaning harder on bitcoin as an infinitely scarce store of value.” It noted that U.S. dominance continues to ascend: Following the 2024 introduction of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, America’s portion of global Bitcoin activity has increased in every reporting period – despite a 2.2% contraction in the overall U.S. crypto economy ($2.78 trillion) during a challenging bear market, while still holding onto the majority of 2025’s near-doubling.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission granted approval for bitcoin ETFs in January 2024, following a decade of rejections for these financial instruments. Managed by prominent financial institutions such as BlackRock, Fidelity, and more recently, Morgan Stanley, the funds achieved the most successful debut in the history of ETFs. Institutions and Wall Street can now buy shares of the funds which track the price of bitcoin and take care of buying and selling the digital coin. The approval of the ETFs has helped the industry mature, the report noted, and helped the U.S. become an overall bigger bitcoin investor. Stablecoins, meanwhile, have turned U.S. debt into a “currency-of-choice for peer-to-peer economies as well as businesses working across borders,” the report continued.
“In the 2026 period we continued to see stablecoins enter new use cases most especially abroad, benefitting the U.S. companies, and the U.S. government, with billions of dollars in economic activity,” it added. Since Donald Trump became president, he has signed a number of pro-crypto laws and executive orders. The GENIUS Act, signed in 2025, allows banks and other entities to issue stablecoins if they back the tokens with assets like U.S. Treasuries and provide monthly disclosures of their reserves.
