Wells Fargo Files Trademark for Potential WFUSD Stablecoin

• Wells Fargo filed a USPTO trademark for “WFUSD” on March 10, 2026.
• The filing is driven by clearer U.S. stablecoin regulations under the 2025 GENIUS Act.
• This move will accelerate the mainstream adoption of bank-issued stablecoins.

Wells Fargo filed a trademark application for “WFUSD” with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 10, 2026, encompassing a wide range of crypto and blockchain services. The filing shows the bank’s preparation for a dollar-pegged stablecoin in a rapidly maturing regulatory environment. 

With the stablecoin market at $314.87 billion and growing institutional interest, this marks a pivotal move by traditional finance toward regulated, on-chain participation.

Wells Fargo Files WFUSD Trademark

Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), one of the largest U.S. banks, with approximately $2.1 trillion in assets, has filed a trademark application for a new digital asset-focused platform branded as WFUSD, signaling that the bank is pushing deeper into crypto and blockchain.

This filing builds on the bank’s prior crypto-related activities, such as its 2022 internal “Wells Fargo Digital Cash” pilot for cross-border settlements on blockchain, investments in firms like Elliptic (blockchain analytics) and Talos (crypto trading infrastructure), and recent research classifying digital assets as an “investable” class.

This is not confirmation of an imminent launch of WFUSD as trademark filings are protective steps and can take months or years, but it is a strong indicator that one of America’s largest banks is positioning for mainstream crypto integration.

Related: Eric Trump Slams Banks’ Low Rates, Backs Stablecoin Yields

Why Banks Are Pursuing Stablecoin Trademarks Now

Major U.S. banks are racing to trademark stablecoin names and services, driven by new regulations and growing threats to traditional banking. The key catalyst is the passage of the GENIUS Act in July 2025, combined with OCC interpretive guidance in February 2026. 

It has created a structured federal pathway for national banks to issue payment stablecoins through subsidiaries or affiliates. Traditional banks can now plan compliant products without fearing abrupt enforcement actions or ambiguity.

According to DefiLlama, the stablecoin market cap has reached $314.87 billion, with on-chain transfer volumes exceeding several trillion dollars annually, fueled by cross-border remittances, DeFi collateral, tokenized RWAs, and enterprise treasury use cases.

Traditional banks face direct competition from JPMorgan’s JPM Coin / JPMD tokenized deposits on public chains, Circle’s USDC institutional ramps, and PayPal’s PYUSD. These early trademark filings serve as inexpensive brand defense while institutions model regulated issuance economics.

The entry of a major retail bank into stablecoins could significantly reshape liquidity across the broader digital asset market. Bank stablecoins could channel trillions in institutional and retail fiat liquidity onto permissionless blockchains, offering near-instant finality, lower settlement risk, and seamless interoperability.

This could erode the dominance of non-bank issuers like Tether, whose market share remains around 60%, while shifting DeFi liquidity toward KYC-compliant, auditable alternatives. Industry analysts project the total stablecoin market could exceed $2 trillion by 2028, fueled by regulatory clarity and growing enterprise demand.

Related: JPMorgan CEO Calls for Fair Rules Between Banks and Stablecoin Firms