Andrew Riabchuk is the Founder and CTO of Akurateco, a white-label payment gateway platform driving innovation in fintech.
Over the past decade, blockchain has quietly transitioned from hype to infrastructure, and nowhere is this more evident than in the payments sector. In a world where the rails of legacy banking are increasingly clogged by regulatory friction, account closures and cross-border inefficiencies, stablecoin payments have evolved from an experiment to a strategic imperative.
For instance, stablecoin remittance activity is rising rapidly in Latin America and Southeast Asia, with some industry sources estimating tens of billions in transfers already in Southeast Asia, and projections in the hundreds of billions by 2028 for Asia overall. Large corporations are testing stablecoins as a means to accelerate B2B settlements and bring more agility to treasury management, thereby cutting the lag between global subsidiaries and parent entities.
Today’s blockchains are already capable of supporting virtually instant, low-cost and high-volume transactions. Real challenges reside not in the technology itself but in reaching clarity around regulation, ensuring compliance and building trust.
Traditional banking access has become increasingly precarious for many businesses operating within “high-risk” sectors like fintech, digital commerce and gaming. In this context, stablecoins are more than an alternative payment method; they are a means to ensure continuity and business resilience.
Why Stablecoins Fit Where Banks Can’t
Unlike the more volatile cryptocurrencies, stablecoins are collateralized through fiat reserves, making them a predictable vehicle for payroll, settlements and consumer payments. It is their predictability that has attracted several global payment networks to test blockchain-enabled settlement models. Both Visa and Mastercard have begun testing stablecoin-based settlements as part of their efforts to enhance cross-border efficiency and improve liquidity management.
To real-world CFOs and payment teams, this means something quite serious: Treasury operations need no longer be constrained by traditional banking hours or correspondent networks. Real-time, programmable liquidity is becoming an option for corporate finance.
Payment processors are also reconsidering their infrastructure by integrating stablecoin rails, which reduce transaction costs and speed up settlement times, while expanding access for merchants in underbanked markets. This enables global businesses to achieve improved cash flow visibility and reduced reliance on slow, fee-heavy intermediaries, particularly in cross-border commerce.
Real-World Impact In Emerging Economies
In emerging markets, stablecoins have already become a practical lifeline. According to regional crypto‑exchange and market‑research data, stablecoins now account for roughly 4 in 10 crypto‑asset purchases or volume in Latin America, as users leverage dollar‑pegged tokens to hedge local‑currency devaluation. In Nigeria and Kenya, stablecoins facilitate remittances and business payments, routing around currency volatility and capital controls.
According to an IMF working paper, stablecoin flows in Africa reached the equivalent of about 6.7 % of GDP in 2024, and the majority of these flows were cross‑border, suggesting a growing role for digital assets in facilitating international payments in regions with constrained traditional banking infrastructure.
These are not speculative use cases; these are new forms of access to financial stability and liquidity.
A Fragmented But Resilient Ecosystem
The diversification of the stablecoin ecosystem is substantial, thereby constituting one of its most significant assets. There is no single point of failure dominating, given that several networks support interoperability and redundancy. Industry leaders such as Circle and Tether are emphasising regulatory transparency and evolving their issuance models (including multichain and cross‑network issuance) to support broader adoption.
Meanwhile, enterprise platforms, such as Ripple’s acquisition of Rail, suggest a growing appetite for institutional-grade settlement systems. This fragmentation promotes innovation, competition and system resilience, given that collaboration is fostered across public and private infrastructures.
Getting Ready For The Next Phase
The promise of blockchain payments is no longer “cheaper and faster”; it’s all about flexibility, reach and autonomy. Stablecoins introduce programmability, transparency and borderless value exchange properties that traditional finance can’t yet match.
But this is far from universal. Nearly 90% of the volume in stablecoins today remains linked to trading activity, rather than real-world payments. Not surprisingly, user experience, regulatory uncertainty and a general lack of awareness continue to hamper mainstream adoption.
But for business leaders, the real question isn’t if they’ll widely adopt stablecoins, but rather when and how. To this end, firms should first consider whether stablecoins are solving a real pain point, such as high cross-border fees, delayed settlement or limited access to foreign currency. In other instances, traditional ways of paying will be more feasible.
Organizations considering adoption should focus on:
• Regulatory Readiness: Engage with jurisdictions that have clarity of frameworks and with licensed issuers.
• Compliance: Ensure proper KYC/AML coverage and maintain clear audit trails.
• Interoperability: Focus on platforms that support multichain connectivity with both on- and off-ramps for fiat.
• Education Of Internal Teams: CFOs, accountants and compliance officers must understand the operational and tax implications.
The question is no longer if blockchain will reshape payments; it already has. Today, the challenge lies in how quickly different industries integrate it and utilize its efficiencies to create truly global, real-time financial systems.
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