Stablecoins completely stole the spotlight this week and just when we thought they were done, well... Shopify announced a new initiative that brings stablecoin payments to its global merchant base through integrations with Stripe and Coinbase.
The move enables USDC payments via the Base blockchain, aiming to simplify crypto transactions for merchants without them needing to manage blockchain infrastructure directly.
Stripe to power stablecoin checkout across 34 Countries
Stripe said in a statement that the company will facilitate USDC transactions on Base for Shopify merchants, starting in 34 countries.
Payments made in USDC will be settled to merchants in their preferred local currency and sent to their bank accounts like any traditional payment. Alternatively, merchants can opt to withdraw USDC directly to a crypto wallet.
Kaz Nejatian, Shopify’s COO and VP of Product, commented in the blog post announcement that Stripe’s handling of the backend complexity helps Shopify meet increasing demand for crypto payments:
“They’re doing the same for stablecoins—making it simple for our merchants to meet booming global demand without wrestling with crypto infrastructure.”
Stripe’s own data shows stablecoin payments are rapidly gaining traction, with over $94 billion settled in the past two years and monthly volumes growing from under $2 billion to over $6.3 billion.
The company’s product suite, Stripe Connect, used by platforms like DoorDash, Instacart, and Salesforce, will now also support stablecoin payments, extending this functionality across major platforms.
Coinbase and Shopify collaborate on new commerce payments protocol
Coinbase also weighed in on the announcement, stating it is working alongside Shopify on a new “Commerce Payments Protocol” to support real-world commerce use cases.
According to Coinbase, most crypto payments today handle peer-to-peer transfers efficiently but don’t scale well for multi-step commercial transactions. The new protocol is designed to fix that gap.
The development follows Stripe’s recent acquisition of crypto wallet firm Privy and Circle’s debut on the NYSE, signaling a broader institutional push toward integrating stablecoins with everyday commerce.
With USDC now live on Base, and major platforms leaning in, these integrations could help USDC close the gap with Tether’s USDT in both volume and adoption.
