How Blockchain is Changing Payment Systems

Here's what Shopify x Coinbase x Stripe actually announced last week is way bigger than most realize (especially after Stripe’s Privy acquisition) For the first time, stablecoin payments are available 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 in Shopify Checkout Imagine this: 1. A customer pays in USDC (stablecoin) 2. funds land in escrow in milliseconds 3. you capture payment instantly when the item ships; merchants receive USD 4. No middlemen, and fees are near zero. That’s a massive shift. Why this is different: • Coinbase created a new onchain payments protocol that mimics how credit cards work (authorize → capture → refund) It’s open source, on Base, and available for anyone to build on. • Stripe handle's the backend payment processing + fiat conversion (through Bridge ) + embedded wallet into the user flow (Privy) This makes stablecoins work like real, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 commerce tools, not just P2P transfers.  Now, Shopify made it usable. Expect many others to follow. What does this actually unlock? → A merchant in Argentina can sell a product to a buyer in the U.S. → The buyer selects USDC, and Privy creates a temporary or persistent embedded wallet linked to their email or phone, without requiring them to download MetaMask or manage keys. → The buyer pays in USDC on Base → The merchant gets paid in local currency, doesn't touch crypto → Zero FX fees → No credit card networks → Settlement is near-instant and final Even more: Merchants can now program discounts, loyalty rewards, or dynamic pricing into the payment logic itself. This is 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝘆𝗽𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻. This is infrastructure for real-time, programmable, global commerce. Coinbase built the protocol rails. Stripe powers the payment rails. Shopify brings the distribution. And most users will never know it’s running on a blockchain. Crypto is not “coming for finance.” Crypto 𝘪𝘴 the new financial stack. The world’s largest commerce and payments companies are now betting on stablecoins. And we finally have Internet First payments. _ 👉Get actionable insights on this shift in our weekly newsletter & join 30k+ others: www.51insights.xyz 🚨 Interested in who's building this? We're tracking 100s of blockchain companies so you don't have to. Sign up for early access: https://lnkd.in/ejRfPnZa

Stop treating crypto as a separate strategy. The leading enterprise CFOs and treasury leaders are integrating blockchain as core financial infrastructure Traditional remittance costs average 6.5% per transaction, while Stablecoin transfers cost under 1% - representing 85% cost reduction for multinational operations. Settlement time comparisons prove even more compelling: → Traditional cross-border payments: 3-5 business days → Stablecoin settlements: 10-30 seconds Major institutions have already implemented this infrastructure: → JPMorgan processes billions monthly through JPM Coin, with transactions on their Onyx platform reducing settlement times by over 90% → PayPal launched PYUSD, now integrated into 430 million active accounts globally → Visa collaborates with Circle to use USDC for blockchain settlement, processing $3 billion in stablecoin payments in 2024 For treasury management, the advantages compound: → 24/7 liquidity across borders without banking hours or holidays → Elimination of pre-funding requirements in destination currencies → Direct settlement between parties without correspondent bank fees → Reduction in currency conversion costs Blockchain adoption for financial infrastructure continues accelerating. Stablecoin market cap reached $200B in 2024, with projections of $1.1T by 2035 according to Megatech Insights (17.8% CAGR) Implement this infrastructure through regulated partners like Circle (USDC), Paxos (supporting PYUSD), or JPMorgan's Onyx platform. Start with specific use cases in treasury operations or cross-border payments where ROI proves immediate and measurable The companies gaining competitive advantages now will maintain multi-year leads over those still deliberating

Cross-border payments are still running like it's 1973. Businesses lose billions annually to a system designed when the internet didn't exist. They accept 3-5 day settlement times, hidden fees, and complex banking relationships because 'that's just how international payments work.' - 'Wire transfers are reliable,' they say. - 'SWIFT is the global standard,' they argue. - 'If it's not broken, why fix it?' But here's the thing: the 'stablecoin sandwich' is quietly transforming how money moves across borders. Consider this: - When a European business pays a Mexican supplier today, that payment touches 4-5 banks - Each bank takes a fee and adds 24-48 hours to settlement - The total cost? Often 2-3% of the payment amount The supplier doesn't receive funds for 3-5 business days. Inside the industry, we're watching a transformation. The stablecoin sandwich—local currency to stablecoin to local currency—is making traditional cross-border payments obsolete. Imagine this instead: EUR → USDC → MXN Instant settlement. Near-zero fees. 24/7 operation. Some teams that come to mind tackling this head on and handling all the complexity (tag others in comments!) Layer1 Mural Pay Borderless.xyz Iron Routefusion Sphere The business never needs to touch crypto or understand blockchain—they just get faster, cheaper payments. We're witnessing the birth of a new financial rail that's as transformative as SWIFT was in the 1970s. By 2026, this won't be a novel concept. It will be how all international payments work. The future of money movement isn't about building new banking relationships or better SWIFT messaging. It's about making the complexity of cross-border payments disappear completely, powered by stablecoins.

𝐁𝟐𝐁 𝐗-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — by Circle 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 🌍 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 is the Circle Payments Network (𝐂𝐏𝐍)? ► CPN is a programmable, interoperable infrastructure enabling compliant global payments via FIAT, USDC, and regulated stablecoins. ► It connects Originating Financial Institutions (OFIs) and Beneficiary Financial Institutions (BFIs) through open blockchain protocols — optimizing payments for speed, compliance, and cost. ► Built for cross-border B2B transactions, CPN replaces complex correspondent banking with smart contracts, encrypted data packets, and multichain rails. — 𝐂𝐏𝐍 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 ► 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 → Wallet SDKs, Paymasters, Contracts ► 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 → USDC, EURC, and Tokenized Funds ► 𝐋𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 → On/off-ramp FX, credit, minting ► 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 → Native multichain support + global banking integration ► 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 → Encryption, AML/CFT, KYC, and travel rule enforcement ► 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 → Embedded across all endpoints — 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰 — B2B Cross-Border Payment Journey 1️⃣ A Sender initiates a payment (e.g., USD → PHP), confirms transaction and recipient details. 2️⃣ The Originating Financial Institution (OFI) queries Circle for USDC > PHP rates, shares quote, and generates an encrypted transaction packet. 3️⃣ The Circle Payments Network facilitates orchestration, routing, and packet signing using smart contracts. 4️⃣ The Beneficiary Financial Institution (BFI) receives transaction data, performs compliance checks, and transfers local currency (PHP) to the Receiver. Every step — from quote to final payout — is secured with blockchain signatures, onchain record-keeping, and real-time compliance workflows. — 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 in this new blockchain-payment wave: ► Dfns → Digital Wallet Infrastructure ► Lightspark → Open protocol for money ► Zero Hash → Blockchain Payments Infrastructure ► Mural Pay → Stablecoins Payments ► Lyzi → Online & In-store Crypto Payments — Source: Circle Payments Network ► Sign up to 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐬 ☕: https://lnkd.in/g5cDhnjC ► Connecting the dots in payments... and Marcel van Oost

Visa just made a $1.4 quadrillion bet on tokenization. Not a small number. And definitely not a small move. Their Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP) lets banks issue fiat-backed tokens directly on blockchain. No USDC. No Tether. Just banks taking back control–on their own terms. Honestly, this was always going to happen. Here’s what’s changing: 1/ Banks are setting their own rules BBVA is already testing VTAP in 2025. Instead of waiting around to see how stablecoins fit in, they’re creating their own. This makes sense because why depend on an external system when you can just build your own? 2/ Payment processors are feeling the shift Stablecoin transactions hit $20T in 2024. The moat around payments is shrinking. It’s no longer about who moves money–it’s about who owns the infrastructure. 3/ FinTech has a small window to adapt For startups working in compliance, payments, or institutional finance, this moment won’t come twice. It’s not just about tokenization anymore–it’s about the products that get built on top of it. And here’s something most people aren’t talking about–90% of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) will likely be EVM-compatible. That’s huge. Because programmable money doesn’t just change how transactions work. It changes what’s even possible in the financial system. We’ve seen this pattern before. Every shift brings in new winners. Every shift leaves some behind. This won’t be any different. Two years from now, businesses won’t be debating if they need a tokenization strategy. They’ll just be trying to catch up.

Remittances are broken. But the fix isn’t what you think. Every year, over $165B is sent from the U.S. to Latin America — not as investments, but as lifelines. Food. Rent. School fees. In Guatemala alone, $21B in remittances flowed in 2023 — a massive piece of the national economy. Yet this money moves like it’s 1998: - Transfers take days - Fees drain 5–7% of every dollar - Recipients must wait in line for cash - And no one knows when or how much will actually arrive 🚫 Fintech didn’t fix it, although thousands have tried. 🚫 They built sleek apps and wallet-to-wallet flows — but skipped the most important piece: banks. Without integrating with the financial infrastructure people already trust, these solutions hit a wall and create too much friction and disconnect. 💡 In short: If you’re not building with the system, you’re building around it. 💡 🔧 The solution? Rewire the rails — not reinvent the app. Fixing remittances means fixing the underlying infrastructure: - Outdated networks - Slow settlement - High friction That’s where blockchain and stablecoins come in. Not hype. Just faster, cheaper, programmable money movement. But the key is embedding this tech where people already live: inside their bank app. 🚀 A better model is emerging. And we are leading the way at SukuPay. Forward-looking banks are starting to adopt this infrastructure. And where users don’t need to learn crypto or download anything new. They just: 1. Enter a phone number 2. Tap “send” 3. And the money is there. Instantly. Reliably. This isn’t disruption. It’s transformation — by working with the system, not against it. Stay tuned! Big news coming soon! 👇 How would you redesign cross-border payments if starting from scratch? #Fintech #Remittances #Stablecoins #LatineAmerica #Banks #Blockchain

Stablecoins: The Future of Payments Is Already Here We’re watching stablecoins quietly shift from crypto curiosity to serious financial infrastructure — and this time, it’s not just startups. Today, approximately $ 100 billion worth of Volume is traded every 24-hour cycle. I know the number is currently small, but here is why this matters: - Regulators aren’t resisting — they’re collaborating. - From congressional hearings to SEC clarity, it’s not a question of if but when stablecoins go mainstream. Everyone’s getting involved. The Fed is piloting rails. JPMorgan and Bank of America have launched stablecoin platforms (viz., wallets). Visa is now helping OpenAI build wallets for stablecoin transactions. We’re heading toward real-time global money movement. Imagine sending a dollar-backed stablecoin from Bank of America to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group Bank in Japan and receiving Yen — instantly, securely, with no middlemen. The same applies to sending Naira to Nigeria. This is peer-to-peer, cross-currency payments without friction — and without legacy networks, which are likely to be brought on. What consumers care about hasn’t changed: - Ease of Use - Reliability - Security & Fraud Protection Crypto-native systems fail here. Stablecoins linked to bank accounts can address this issue. They bring programmability without the pain — designed to be usable, not just tradable. The bigger picture? Stablecoins backed by USD = global demand for the dollar. In a multipolar world, that’s a strategic advantage — not just a technical one. The truth is: 🪙 Bitcoin is not the answer. 🏛️ CBDCs raise some valid concerns. 💵 Stablecoins are the bridge. The wealth of humanity won’t live in one coin or wallet. It will be part of a seamless system of interoperable, stable, and real-time tokens — backed by trust and moved with zero friction. We're not replacing money. We're reimagining how it moves. The question is no longer how fast we build it — It’s who leads it.