South Korea just flipped a switch on crypto utility. With Oobit live, millions of Koreans can tap their phones at any Visa terminal and pay in their local currency, directly with crypto. It’s one of the cleanest real-world wallet → checkout bridges we’ve seen yet.

The move follows Oobit’s partnership with Kaia, connecting USD₮-on-Kaia and $KAIA to everyday checkouts across Asia through the existing card network. Users are able to pay from Klip/Kaia wallets online and in store while merchants keep their familiar flow and receive fiat.

That wallet-first, frictionless approach is exactly what the U.S. is ready for.

The problem in the American stablecoin market is friction. Holders don’t want to pre-fund closed cards, merchants don’t want new devices and nobody wants to think about gas fees at a coffee shop counter, for example. Oobit’s thesis, “let the user stay in crypto until the tap, and let the merchant stay in USD”, collapses that friction.

Their crypto card lets users spend USD₮, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other assets instantly at millions of stores, online shops, and services. The user flow is simple: add the Oobit card to Apple Pay/Google Wallet, connect the wallets you already use (Coinbase/Kraken/MetaMask/Trust) and pay anywhere Visa works.

With strong backing, global traction and MiCA-compliant integrations (USDR/EURR via StablR), it is exactly the kind of profile US partners want to see.

1. No merchant onboarding. Asia rollout hinged on “use the rails merchants already have.” That same promise neutralizes US merchant objections.

2. Wallet-first UX. Oobit’s external-wallet connect respects user custody and meets people where they live, and Americans expect the same.

3. Stablecoin-led spend. Aligning with USD₮ usage patterns, and making it as spendable as fiat. Tether’s presence is quickly growing in the U.S market.

• From February 2024 till now, active stablecoin wallets shot up from ~19.6 million to over 41.1 million, recent data shows.

• Adjusted transaction volumes are exceeding $3 trillion monthly, outpacing Visa.

• Artemis reports that B2B stablecoin payments surged 30× in two years.

• In the 2025 Chainalysis Global Adoption Index, the U.S. sits at #2 globally behind only India.

• On-chain payments & AI are reported by 37% of survey respondents as key drivers of adoption in 2025. Payments are on their way to becoming the new “killer app.”

• Approximately 13.7% of U.S. adults own crypto, representing tens of millions of potential users for tap-to-pay utility.

• The GENIUS Act, passed in 2025, creates a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins, providing clarity and reducing uncertainty for payment-forward companies.

• An additional CLARITY Act is expected to pass by late 2025 or early 2026. When it does, platforms issuing stablecoins will finally fully know which rules apply, who regulates them, and how to comply.

• Corporate and institutional demand increasing: 1 in 4 North American CFOs say their finance functions will use digital currency within two years.

The opportunity in entering the largest consumer economy is about proving crypto can move seamlessly across categories Americans already spend on daily:

• Everyday Spend Categories: Coffee chains, grocery/convenience stores, and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are high-frequency, low-ticket environments where tap-to-pay is already the norm.

• Remittance to Local Spend: Millions of stablecoin transfers flow into immigrant communities in the U.S. each month. Pilots that link remittance inflows directly to retail spend at grocery stores, utility payments, and services would prove stablecoins are more than just a transfer tool.

• Retail & Venues: Entertainment hubs, event venues, gaming lounges, restaurants, stores that appeal to digital-native communities are natural adoption hubs.

• E-Commerce & Lifestyle Brands: Online shopping is where crypto can prove its staying power. Stablecoin checkout for online goods, tech products, and direct-to-consumer brands will push stablecoins to be mainstream digital money.

The best starting cities (for physical tap-to-pay adoption) should have high contactless pay usage, crypto-savvy populations and communities already using stablecoins.

Three come to mind:

• Austin – A youthful, tech-forward population, strong crypto presence, and consistently ranked among the most “cashless-friendly” U.S. cities.

• San Francisco / Bay Area – Not much explanation needed. Dense crypto adoption, mature merchant infrastructure, an early-adopter mindset across consumer tech.

• Miami – A natural fit due to its Latin American remittance corridors, crypto-friendly local leadership, and global events that spotlight payment innovation.

Beyond these, secondary candidates like New York City, Seattle, and Denver could provide good ground for targeted rollouts, though each carries higher costs and some regulatory considerations.

Oobit has already proven its model in Asia: tap-to-pay, zero merchant lift, and wallet freedom. The U.S. rails are ready for it too.

It’s a crowded market, but wallet-first models like Oobit’s stand out by requiring nothing from merchants and relying on systems people already use daily.

What to watch next:

• The rollout of U.S.-regulated stablecoins like Tether’s USA₮ and Circle’s USDC under GENIUS/CLARITY frameworks

• How mainstream consumer brands handle crypto-to-fiat payments at scale

• User willingness to spend directly in crypto on a everyday basis

The opportunity isn’t just for Oobit, but for the entire stablecoin ecosystem. If Asia showed us that frictionless spend is possible, the U.S. will test whether stablecoins can finally become daily utility. The next year will be the real inflection point.

Written by Trace Research — exploring on-chain markets.

South Korea just flipped a switch on crypto utility. With Oobit live, millions of Koreans can tap their phones at any Visa terminal and pay in their local currency, directly with crypto. It’s one of the cleanest real-world wallet → checkout bridges we’ve seen yet.

The move follows Oobit’s partnership with Kaia, connecting USD₮-on-Kaia and $KAIA to everyday checkouts across Asia through the existing card network. Users are able to pay from Klip/Kaia wallets online and in store while merchants keep their familiar flow and receive fiat.

That wallet-first, frictionless approach is exactly what the U.S. is ready for.

The problem in the American stablecoin market is friction. Holders don’t want to pre-fund closed cards, merchants don’t want new devices and nobody wants to think about gas fees at a coffee shop counter, for example. Oobit’s thesis, “let the user stay in crypto until the tap, and let the merchant stay in USD”, collapses that friction.

Their crypto card lets users spend USD₮, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other assets instantly at millions of stores, online shops, and services. The user flow is simple: add the Oobit card to Apple Pay/Google Wallet, connect the wallets you already use (Coinbase/Kraken/MetaMask/Trust) and pay anywhere Visa works.

With strong backing, global traction and MiCA-compliant integrations (USDR/EURR via StablR), it is exactly the kind of profile US partners want to see.

1. No merchant onboarding. Asia rollout hinged on “use the rails merchants already have.” That same promise neutralizes US merchant objections.

2. Wallet-first UX. Oobit’s external-wallet connect respects user custody and meets people where they live, and Americans expect the same.

3. Stablecoin-led spend. Aligning with USD₮ usage patterns, and making it as spendable as fiat. Tether’s presence is quickly growing in the U.S market.

• From February 2024 till now, active stablecoin wallets shot up from ~19.6 million to over 41.1 million, recent data shows.

• Adjusted transaction volumes are exceeding $3 trillion monthly, outpacing Visa.

• Artemis reports that B2B stablecoin payments surged 30× in two years.

• In the 2025 Chainalysis Global Adoption Index, the U.S. sits at #2 globally behind only India.

• On-chain payments & AI are reported by 37% of survey respondents as key drivers of adoption in 2025. Payments are on their way to becoming the new “killer app.”

• Approximately 13.7% of U.S. adults own crypto, representing tens of millions of potential users for tap-to-pay utility.

• The GENIUS Act, passed in 2025, creates a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins, providing clarity and reducing uncertainty for payment-forward companies.

• An additional CLARITY Act is expected to pass by late 2025 or early 2026. When it does, platforms issuing stablecoins will finally fully know which rules apply, who regulates them, and how to comply.

• Corporate and institutional demand increasing: 1 in 4 North American CFOs say their finance functions will use digital currency within two years.

The opportunity in entering the largest consumer economy is about proving crypto can move seamlessly across categories Americans already spend on daily:

• Everyday Spend Categories: Coffee chains, grocery/convenience stores, and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are high-frequency, low-ticket environments where tap-to-pay is already the norm.

• Remittance to Local Spend: Millions of stablecoin transfers flow into immigrant communities in the U.S. each month. Pilots that link remittance inflows directly to retail spend at grocery stores, utility payments, and services would prove stablecoins are more than just a transfer tool.

• Retail & Venues: Entertainment hubs, event venues, gaming lounges, restaurants, stores that appeal to digital-native communities are natural adoption hubs.

• E-Commerce & Lifestyle Brands: Online shopping is where crypto can prove its staying power. Stablecoin checkout for online goods, tech products, and direct-to-consumer brands will push stablecoins to be mainstream digital money.

The best starting cities (for physical tap-to-pay adoption) should have high contactless pay usage, crypto-savvy populations and communities already using stablecoins.

Three come to mind:

• Austin – A youthful, tech-forward population, strong crypto presence, and consistently ranked among the most “cashless-friendly” U.S. cities.

• San Francisco / Bay Area – Not much explanation needed. Dense crypto adoption, mature merchant infrastructure, an early-adopter mindset across consumer tech.

• Miami – A natural fit due to its Latin American remittance corridors, crypto-friendly local leadership, and global events that spotlight payment innovation.

Beyond these, secondary candidates like New York City, Seattle, and Denver could provide good ground for targeted rollouts, though each carries higher costs and some regulatory considerations.

Oobit has already proven its model in Asia: tap-to-pay, zero merchant lift, and wallet freedom. The U.S. rails are ready for it too.

It’s a crowded market, but wallet-first models like Oobit’s stand out by requiring nothing from merchants and relying on systems people already use daily.

What to watch next:

• The rollout of U.S.-regulated stablecoins like Tether’s USA₮ and Circle’s USDC under GENIUS/CLARITY frameworks

• How mainstream consumer brands handle crypto-to-fiat payments at scale

• User willingness to spend directly in crypto on a everyday basis

The opportunity isn’t just for Oobit, but for the entire stablecoin ecosystem. If Asia showed us that frictionless spend is possible, the U.S. will test whether stablecoins can finally become daily utility. The next year will be the real inflection point.

Written by Trace Research — exploring on-chain markets.