USDC is gaining serious momentum in institutional circles. Major banks are moving beyond the pilot phase and rolling out live production systems, signaling a real shift in how digital stablecoins integrate into traditional finance. The numbers back this up—we're looking at 40% annual growth rates, and that's just the baseline. This isn't hype; it's the actual infrastructure layer being built beneath the next generation of global payments. The transition from testing environments to operational deployment marks a turning point. When institutions start moving real capital through digital rails instead of legacy systems, you're witnessing the plumbing upgrade of modern finance. That's what's actually happening right now.