S&P and Chainlink Bridge Traditional Finance and DeFi with Onchain Stability Tool

The Block article.>

S&P Global has partnered with oracle network Chainlink to bring its Stablecoin Stability Assessments (SSAs) onchain, enabling decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and smart contracts to access real-time risk evaluations of stablecoins. The collaboration, announced in October 2025, leverages Chainlink's DataLink service to deliver institutional-grade data directly to blockchain infrastructure, allowing market participants to integrate S&P's analysis into automated decision-making systems without building new tools, according to The Block.

PR Newswire release.>

The SSAs, which score stablecoins on a scale from 1 (very strong) to 5 (weak), assess factors like asset quality, governance, liquidity, and regulatory compliance. S&P currently evaluates 10 major stablecoins, including USDT, USDC, and Sky Protocol's USDS/DAI, according to PR Newswire. By publishing these scores onchain, the firm aims to enhance transparency and reduce risks for institutional investors navigating the $305 billion stablecoin market, which has grown from $130 billion a year earlier, according to CoinDesk.

Chainlink's infrastructure, which has secured nearly $100 billion in DeFi total value locked (TVL) and facilitated over $25 trillion in transactions, underpins the initiative. Sergey Nazarov, Chainlink's co-founder, emphasized the partnership's role in creating a "secure and compliant foundation for digital markets," noting that S&P's ratings are trusted by major banks and asset managers, as reported by The Block. The onchain SSAs initially launch on Coinbase's Ethereum Layer 2 network, Base, with expansion plans based on demand, per the PR Newswire release.

The move aligns with broader regulatory developments, including the U.S. GENIUS Act, which established the first federal framework for stablecoins in July 2025. The law mandates 1:1 reserve backing and consumer protections, reinforcing institutional confidence in stablecoin adoption. S&P Global's Chief DeFi Officer, Chuck Mounts, stated the collaboration reflects the firm's commitment to "meeting clients where they are," as DeFi activity scales, according to PR Newswire.

S&P's foray into onchain risk analysis is part of a broader strategy to expand its presence in digital assets. Since 2021, the firm has launched crypto indices, rated tokenized funds, and assigned its first DeFi protocol rating to Sky Protocol in August 2025, as reported by CoinDesk. The latest milestone underscores the growing intersection of traditional finance and blockchain, with S&P positioning itself as a bridge between the two ecosystems.