Stablecoins are often lumped into conversations about crypto volatility and speculative trading—but for regulated financial institutions, that framing misses the point entirely. This session cuts through the noise to explain what stablecoins actually are (and are not) from a payments and banking perspective. We will explore the current stablecoin landscape, including fiat-backed models and tokenized deposits, and why interest from banks and credit unions is accelerating, particularly driven by regulatory clarity, maturing technology, and real market demand. Attendees will learn where stablecoins fit within the existing U.S. payments ecosystem, including how they intersect with instant payments like FedNow and RTP rather than competing with them. The session will also examine the evolving roles financial institutions can play—issuer, custodian, settlement bank, or on-/off-ramp—along with key risk, compliance, and governance considerations that leadership teams must understand before engaging. This is a practical, plain-English discussion designed to help payments leaders participate confidently in strategic conversations about tokenized money—without jeopardizing compliance, deposits, or trust.