From adoption to continuance: Stablecoins in cross-border remittances and the role of digital and financial literacy

• Digital and financial literacy boost stablecoin adoption for remittances. • Younger, educated users lead in stablecoin remittance transactions. • User satisfaction and perceived usefulness drive stablecoin continuance. • Synergistic effect of literacy types enhances stablecoin adoption accuracy. • Findings support targeted educational efforts to expand stablecoin use. We examine the adoption and continuance intentions of blockchain-based stablecoins for cross-border remittances. Relying on survey data from 866 U.S.-based adults engaged in remittance activities, our findings reveal that digital and financial literacy independently increase the likelihood of stablecoin adoption, while their interaction synergistically enhances predictive accuracy. Demographic analysis indicates that stablecoin remittance users tend to be younger, more educated, and involved in higher-value transactions. Among the 26% of remittance users who adopted stablecoins, continuance intentions are primarily driven by satisfaction and perceived usefulness. This points to a cyclical dynamic, where meeting user expectations leads to greater satisfaction, which in turn reinforces the perceived usefulness of stablecoins. The results underscore the importance of promoting both digital and financial literacy, improving user experience, and effectively communicating tangible benefits to encourage the continued adoption of stablecoins for remittance transactions. Ultimately, these efforts could contribute to a more efficient and cost-effective remittance market that aligns with the 10th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to reduce transaction costs of remittances to less than 3 percent by 2030.