Fifth Third is weighing a deeper push into crypto-related services, including stablecoin-based cross-border transfers and integration with trading and payment networks. The lender has already established a niche client base that uses its banking infrastructure for functions like payroll and revenue collection, Ben Hoffman, the company’s chief strategy officer, told. Other areas of exploration include using stablecoins to facilitate international transactions to reduce costs and boost overall efficiency, he added, noting the company is also looking to link into payment networks that support consumers’ crypto purchases and digital asset trading. The move comes after five years of Fifth Third waiting for crypto regulation to become clearer, Hoffman said. Now, with pro-crypto U.S. President Donald Trump implementing friendly crypto rules, ‘it became clear that this was the right time to engage and fortunately we’ve had a team of folks actively studying and tinkering in this space,” he said.