Local-currency stablecoins could end up boosting demand for dollar-backed tokens if both circulate on the same blockchain networks, making it easier for users to move between them through decentralized exchanges, liquidity pools or peer-to-peer transfers. Dan Katz, First Deputy Managing Director at the IMF, made that case in an Aug. 7 speech at the University of Cape Town, saying domestic tokens might even accelerate adoption of foreign-exchange stablecoins rather than insulate economies from digital dollarization. Katz said the stablecoin market remains overwhelmingly dollar-based, with capitalization holding around $300 billion over the past year after nearly tripling between 2021 and 2025, and nearly 99% of tokens denominated in dollars. He said that gives dollar-backed stablecoins stronger liquidity and network effects than local alternatives. In South Africa, dollar stablecoins have gained only limited traction so far, but rand-linked stablecoins have attracted even less demand, and he said it is too early to draw firm conclusions. The IMF warned that foreign-exchange activity could shift from banks and conventional currency dealers into onchain markets, where self-custody wallets, decentralized exchanges and liquidity pools may weaken traditional reporting and capital-control checkpoints. Katz said regulators should focus on onramps, offramps and onchain conversion venues rather than pursue a universal ban. BIS research cited in the discussion found broadly similar stablecoin inflows in economies with and without cross-border usage restrictions, underscoring the challenge of enforcing conventional controls on borderless blockchain networks.