【Stripe is bringing stablecoin payments to more than 160 markets, putting cross-border payments on a new track】
Stripe now allows eligible U.S. businesses to send USDC and OUSD to recipients in more than 160 markets via crypto wallets, for use cases including freelancer payments, supplier payments, and remittances. Cross-border payments used to pass through banks, correspondent banks, and local clearing networks. Stablecoins compress fund transfers onto the blockchain, where transfers can take minutes, while also bypassing some traditional banking-hour restrictions.
Stripe isn’t the only one testing the waters. VISA $V launched its USDC prefunding service commercially in October, and Mastercard $MA.US also announced support for multiple compliant stablecoins for settlement on weekends, holidays, and during the day. Traditional payment giants are integrating stablecoins into their infrastructure.
For the crypto industry, the truly significant shift is that stablecoins are starting to handle real commercial payments, rather than just the movement of funds in and out of exchanges. However, Stripe’s service is still in public preview, so its future will depend on actual transaction volume, merchant retention, and settlement costs. Once payment networks are up and running, stablecoin demand could expand beyond the crypto market to become part of the day-to-day global cash flows of businesses.
Stripe now allows eligible U.S. businesses to send USDC and OUSD to recipients in more than 160 markets via crypto wallets, for use cases including freelancer payments, supplier payments, and remittances. Cross-border payments used to pass through banks, correspondent banks, and local clearing networks. Stablecoins compress fund transfers onto the blockchain, where transfers can take minutes, while also bypassing some traditional banking-hour restrictions.
Stripe isn’t the only one testing the waters. VISA $V launched its USDC prefunding service commercially in October, and Mastercard $MA.US also announced support for multiple compliant stablecoins for settlement on weekends, holidays, and during the day. Traditional payment giants are integrating stablecoins into their infrastructure.
For the crypto industry, the truly significant shift is that stablecoins are starting to handle real commercial payments, rather than just the movement of funds in and out of exchanges. However, Stripe’s service is still in public preview, so its future will depend on actual transaction volume, merchant retention, and settlement costs. Once payment networks are up and running, stablecoin demand could expand beyond the crypto market to become part of the day-to-day global cash flows of businesses.