Catalyzed by Stripe's acquisition of Bridge and progress on the GENIUS Act, headlines about stablecoins have exploded over the past six months. From CEOs of major banks to product managers at payment companies to high-ranking government officials, key decision-makers are increasingly mentioning stablecoins and touting their advantages.

Stablecoins are built on four core pillars:

• Instant settlement (T+0, significantly reducing working capital needs);

• Ultra-low transaction costs (especially compared to SWIFT);

• Global accessibility (available 24/7, requiring only an internet connection);

• Programmability (money driven by extensible coded logic).

These pillars perfectly encapsulate the benefits of stablecoins touted in headlines, blog posts, and interviews. Thus, the argument for why stablecoins are needed is easy to grasp, but how to apply them is far more complex—whether for a fintech product manager or a bank CEO, there is little content detailing how to integrate stablecoins into existing business models.

Given this, we decided to write this high-level guide as an entry point for non-crypto businesses exploring stablecoin applications. Below, we divide the discussion into four independent sections, each corresponding to a different business model. Each section will analyze: where stablecoins can create value, the specific implementation path, and a schematic of the transformed product architecture.

At the end of the day, headlines matter, but what we truly seek is the mass adoption of stablecoins—scaling their use in real-world business scenarios. We hope this article can serve as a small stepping stone toward that vision. Now, let’s dive into how non-crypto businesses can leverage stablecoins today.

For consumer-facing (To C) digital banks, the key to enhancing enterprise value lies in optimizing three levers: user base, average revenue per user (ARPU), and churn rate. Stablecoins can currently directly boost the first two—by integrating partner infrastructure, digital banks can launch stablecoin-based remittance services, reaching new user segments while adding revenue streams for existing customers.

Amid decades-long trends of digital connectivity and globalization, today’s fintech target markets often have cross-border characteristics. Some digital banks position cross-border financial services as their core offering (e.g., Revolut or DolarApp), while others treat them as ARPU-boosting features (e.g., Nubank or Lemon). For fintech startups focused on diaspora or specific ethnic groups (e.g., Felix Pago or Abound), remittances are a must-have for their target markets. All these types of digital banks will (or already do) benefit from stablecoin remittances.

Compared to traditional remittance services (e.g., Western Union), stablecoins enable faster (instant vs. 2-5+ days) and cheaper (as low as 30 bps vs. 300+ bps) settlements. For example, DolarApp charges just $3 for USD transfers to Mexico with instant arrival. This explains why stablecoin payments already account for 10-20% penetration in certain corridors (e.g., U.S.-Mexico), with growth continuing.

Beyond generating new revenue, stablecoins can optimize costs and user experience, especially as an internal settlement tool. Many practitioners are familiar with the pain of weekend settlements: bank closures delay settlements by two days. Digital banks pursuing real-time services and premium experiences must bridge this gap by providing working capital credit, which incurs opportunity costs (particularly burdensome in today’s rate environment) and may force additional fundraising. Stablecoins’ instant settlement and global reach solve this problem entirely. Robinhood, one of the world’s largest fintech platforms, is a prime example. CEO Vlad Tenev stated clearly during the February 2025 earnings call: "We’re using stablecoins to handle a significant portion of weekend settlements, and adoption is growing steadily."

Thus, it’s no surprise that consumer fintechs like Revolut and Robinhood are embracing stablecoins. So, if you work at a consumer bank or fintech, how can you apply stablecoins?

Implementation for This Business Model:

• 24/7 Real-Time Settlement

  • Use USDC, USDT, or USDG for instant settlement (including holidays);

  • Integrate wallet providers/coordinators (e.g., Fireblocks or Bridge) to connect banking systems with blockchain-based USD/stablecoin flows;

  • Partner with fiat on-ramp providers (e.g., Yellow Card in Africa) for B2B/B2B2C stablecoin-fiat conversions.

• Bridging Fiat Settlement Gaps

  • Use stablecoins as temporary fiat substitutes on weekends, reconciling when banks reopen;

  • Collaborate with providers like Paxos to create internal stablecoin settlement loops between customer accounts and corporate accounts.

• Instant Counterparty Funding

  • Bypass ACH/wire delays by using the above solutions or liquidity partners to rapidly allocate funds to exchanges/partners.

• Cross-Border Entity Rebalancing

  • When fiat channels are closed, use on-chain stablecoin transfers for inter-business-unit/subsidiary fund movements;

  • Enable automated, scalable global treasury management for headquarters.

Beyond these basics, imagine a next-gen bank built entirely on "24/7, instant, composable finance." Remittances and settlements are just the start—programmable payments, cross-border asset management, and tokenized equities will follow. Such companies will win with superior UX, rich product suites, and lower cost structures.

Today, business owners in markets like Nigeria, Indonesia, or Brazil face steep hurdles to open USD accounts at local banks. Typically, only high-volume traders or those with special relationships qualify—and only if the bank has sufficient USD liquidity. Local currency accounts force entrepreneurs to bear both bank risk and government credit risk, requiring constant vigilance over exchange rate fluctuations to maintain working capital. When paying overseas suppliers, business owners also pay hefty fees to convert local currency into USD or other major currencies.

Stablecoins can significantly reduce these frictions, and forward-thinking commercial banks will play a key role in their adoption. Through bank-hosted compliant digital dollar platforms (e.g., USDC or USDG), businesses can:

• Hold multi-currency balances without maintaining multiple banking relationships;

• Settle cross-border invoices instantly (bypassing traditional correspondent networks);

• Earn interest on stablecoin deposits.

Banks can thus upgrade basic checking accounts into global multi-currency treasury solutions, offering speed, transparency, and financial resilience unmatched by traditional accounts.

Implementation for This Business Model:

• Global USD/Multi-Currency Accounts

  • Banks custody stablecoins for businesses via partners like Fireblocks or Stripe-Bridge;

  • Reduce startup/operational costs (e.g., fewer licenses, no FBO accounts).

• High-Yield Products Backed by Quality Assets

  • Banks can offer yields near federal funds rates (~4%) with lower credit risk than local banks (U.S.-regulated money funds vs. local banks);

  • Partner with yield-bearing stablecoin providers (e.g., Paxos) or tokenized treasury platforms (e.g., Superstate/Securitize).

• 24/7 Real-Time Settlement

  • (See consumer fintech section above.)

Global Use Cases We Favor (Solved by Stablecoin Platforms/Commercial Banks):

• Importers pay USD for goods instantly, with overseas exporters releasing shipments immediately;

• Corporate treasurers move funds across borders in real time, bypassing correspondent bank delays—enabling banking services for mega multinationals;

• Business owners in high-inflation countries dollarize their balance sheets.

Sample Product Architecture (Stablecoin-Powered Commercial Banking):

For payroll platforms, stablecoins’ greatest value lies in serving employers who pay workers in emerging markets. Cross-border payments—or payments in countries with poor financial infrastructure—impose significant costs on payroll providers. These costs are either absorbed by the platform, passed to employers, or deducted from contractors’ pay. The easiest opportunity for payroll providers is enabling stablecoin payouts.

As earlier sections noted, cross-border stablecoin transfers from the U.S. financial system to contractors’ digital wallets are near-zero-cost and instant (depending on fiat off-ramp setup). While contractors may still need to convert to fiat (for a fee), they receive payments instantly, pegged to the world’s strongest currency. Evidence shows surging demand for stablecoins in emerging markets:

• Users pay ~4.7% premiums on average for USD stablecoins;

• In countries like Argentina, premiums can exceed 30%;

• Stablecoins are gaining traction among contractors/freelancers in regions like Latin America;

• Freelancer apps like Airtm see exponential growth in stablecoin usage and users;

• Critically, the user base already exists: 250M+ digital wallets actively used stablecoins in the past 12 months, with growing willingness to accept stablecoin payments.

Beyond speed and end-user cost savings, stablecoins benefit payroll providers’ enterprise clients (the paying customers). First, stablecoins are more transparent and customizable. A recent fintech survey found 66% of payroll professionals lack tools to understand their true costs with banks/payment partners—fees are opaque, and processes confusing. Second, today’s payroll execution often involves heavy manual work, draining finance teams’ resources. Beyond payments, accounting, tax, and reconciliation add layers of complexity. Stablecoins are programmable and come with built-in ledgers (blockchains), enabling automation (e.g., batch/timed payments) and accounting (e.g., smart contract auto-calculations, withholdings, and record-keeping).

So, how should payroll platforms enable stablecoin payments?

Implementation:

• 24/7 Real-Time Settlement

  • (Covered earlier.)

• Closed-Loop Payments

  • Partner with stablecoin card issuers (e.g., Rain) to let end-users spend stablecoins directly, inheriting speed/cost benefits;

  • Work with wallet providers to offer stablecoin savings/yield opportunities.

• Accounting & Tax Reconciliation

  • Use blockchain’s immutable ledger to auto-sync transactions to accounting/tax systems via APIs, automating withholdings, bookkeeping, and reconciliation.

• Programmable Payments & Embedded Finance

  • Use smart contracts for batch payments or conditional payments (e.g., bonuses). Partner with platforms like Airtm or deploy smart contracts directly.

  • Connect to DeFi primitives to offer affordable, global payroll-based financing—bypassing often cumbersome, closed, and expensive local bank partners in some regions. Apps like Glim (and indirectly Lemon) are pioneering this.

Putting It All Together:
A stablecoin-enabled payroll platform partners with U.S. fiat on-ramps (e.g., Bridge, Circle, Beam) to link bank accounts with stablecoins. Pre-payday, funds move from corporate accounts to on-chain stablecoin accounts (custodied by the above or Fireblocks). Payments are automated, broadcast globally to contractors, who receive USD stablecoins instantly—spendable via stablecoin Visa cards (e.g., Rain) or saved in tokenized treasuries (e.g., USTB/BUIDL). This new architecture slashes costs, expands contractor coverage, and boosts automation.

Many businesses today derive core revenue from card issuance. For example, Chime—which just went public on June 12—generates over $1B annually from U.S. transaction fees alone. Despite its U.S. scale, Chime’s Visa partnership, bank relationships, and tech stack offer little help for overseas expansion.

Traditional card issuance requires country-by-country licensing (from Visa, etc.) or local bank partnerships—a cumbersome process that stifles cross-regional growth. Take public company Nubank: after 10+ years operating, it only began expanding abroad in the last 3 years.

Additionally, issuers must post collateral with card networks (e.g., Visa) to mitigate default risk. Networks use this to promise merchants (e.g., Walmart) that cardholder payments will clear even if the bank/fintech fails. Networks review 4-7 days of transaction volume to calculate collateral requirements—a heavy burden and barrier to entry.

Stablecoins transform card issuance possibilities. First, they’ve spawned a new class of card platforms (e.g., Rain), letting fintechs leverage their Visa principal membership to issue cards globally via stablecoins. Examples include enabling issuance in Colombia, Mexico, the U.S., Bolivia, and more—simultaneously. Second, stablecoins’ 24/7 settlement allows new partners to settle on weekends, slashing risk and collateral needs. Finally, on-chain verifiability and composability create more efficient collateral management, reducing working capital demands.

Implementation for This Business Model:

• Partner with Visa/card issuers to launch USD-denominated global card programs;

  • Flexible Settlement Options:

    1. Settle directly in stablecoins (enabling weekend/overnight settlement);

    2. Card networks generate daily settlement reports with bank details—replaced by stablecoin addresses;

    3. Alternatively, convert stablecoins back to fiat before settling with networks.

  • Lower Collateral Requirements (thanks to 24/7 settlement).

Sample Architecture (Stablecoin-Powered Global Card Program):

Today, stablecoins are no longer a futuristic promise—they’re practical tech with exponential adoption. The question isn’t "if" but "when" and "how" to adopt. From banks to fintechs to payment processors, crafting a stablecoin strategy is now imperative.

Businesses that move beyond pilots to fully integrate stablecoin solutions will outperform peers in cost savings, revenue growth, and market expansion. Notably, these real-world benefits are backed by existing integration partners and impending legislation—both reducing execution risk. Now is the time to build stablecoin solutions.