How to use stablecoins in TradFi and online payments

Stablecoins are no longer just a crypto trader’s tool — in 2025, they’re aligned with Traditional Finances (TradFi).  

Visa and Mastercard are expanding their engagement with stablecoins, such as USDC and EURC. Companies integrate them into the payment infrastructure and support stablecoin debit cards to enable faster, lower-cost, and global payments. Such stablecoin adoption in 2025 promises a nice future for stablecoins in finance.  

In this article, we answer the most popular questions about how to use stablecoins in TradFi today.  It is a beginner-friendly guide on stablecoin payments, fees, and adoption trends. 

All of us know TradFi well, and we assume readers are also closely familiar with at least one of the many stablecoins. Let’s bring them face-to-face to see where the differences between the two payment methods lie. 

Stablecoins in traditional finance: A 2025 snapshot

Stablecoins in traditional finance serve as an entry point for individuals and organizations entering the crypto market, as well as an exit point for converting crypto back to fiat.

Several banks, including Citigroup and J.P. Morgan, are actively piloting stablecoin settlement solutions.

Citigroup

The bank is enhancing its existing payment infrastructure, including Citi Token and Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS), with programmable payment rails to support these stablecoin-based strategies. Citigroup is looking at the issuance of a Citi stablecoin.

J.P. Morgan

Through its Kinexys Digital Payments service, J.P. Morgan has launched a proof-of-concept for its own stablecoin-like solution, a J.P. Morgan Deposit Token (JPMD). 

It is designed for native cash settlement and payments, serving J.P. Morgan's institutional clients by offering a digital, blockchain-based alternative to traditional stablecoins for payments. 

Regulatory push: US, EU frameworks tightening

The adoption is underground, but it’s too early to say that every corner of the world accepts, let’s say, USDT or USDC as a means of payment. And while some prominent players on the financial market expand their sphere of operation, regulations also take place. 

News about stablecoin regulations in 2025 has come primarily from the US and the EU.

In the United States, in particular, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act) has been adopted. It requires issuers to provide assets 1:1 with US dollars or treasury securities, publish reserve data, and be audited to combat money laundering. The act also obliges issuers to introduce technical capabilities to freeze or destroy stablecoins at the request of the authorities

Since, in its current form, USDT does not meet the requirements of the GENIUS act, Tether is considering launching a separate cryptocurrency for the United States market.

The European Union’s stablecoins regulations are reflected in Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), which sets high standards for stablecoins, including reserve and consumer protection requirements, making assets such as EURC and EUROe compliant.

Just like in the US, Tether (USDT) may not comply with MiCA due to a lack of transparency and high volume of operations.

Tighter regulation prompted a backlash from market participants. Some major cryptocurrency exchanges (OKX, Kraken) are starting to restrict USDT trading pairs before the MiCA rules take full effect. Coinbase is preparing to delist stablecoins that do not meet MiCA requirements around December, as Bloomberg News reported.

Everyday uses of stablecoins for payments

Many merchants have already used cryptocurrency for payments. Since stablecoins are pegged to the value of fiat currencies, they are resistant to sharp price fluctuations, unlike, for example, highly volatile Bitcoin. Therefore, stablecoins are rapidly gaining popularity in various fields, from retail to real estate rental.

Online shopping with stablecoins

Today, more marketplaces are adding the option to pay with stablecoins online to offer additional payment options, simplify, and speed up transactions. 

Let’s talk about how the process is going and how stablecoins are used via gateways & cards.

How stablecoins are used with payment gateways:

• Merchants integrates stablecoin payment gateways into their online stores or point-of-sale (POS) systems.  
• Customers pay using their crypto wallet or a stablecoin-enabled payment app.
• The payment gateway converts the customer's stablecoins into the merchant's preferred fiat currency, if needed.
• The merchant receives the funds in fiat, or sometimes directly in stablecoins. 

How stablecoin used with debit cards:

• Crypto debit cards are linked to a crypto wallet or an exchange account. They can be used anywhere where traditional card payments are accepted.
• When the card is used, the stablecoins are converted to fiat by the issuer or network before being processed on legacy financial rails.
• Some card networks are also exploring pathways to send stablecoins for online shopping directly, reducing reliance on traditional infrastructure. 

Remittances made cheaper & faster

The use of stablecoins for remittances in 2025 is also becoming relevant. People-to-people (P2P) transactions are especially popular for countries whose residents do not have access to banking services or are limited in them. 

Let’s see what differences stablecoin rails show vs traditional SWIFT.

Traditional payment rails like SWIFT-based wires often mean:

• slow timelines, 
• high and unpredictable costs,
• tracking challenges,
• limited to banking hours.

Stablecoin transactions solve these problems, offering a drastically different experience:

• near-instant speed, 24/7,
• lower fees,
• no middlemen or surprise deductions,
• transparency & traceability,
• finality & security.

Everyday payments & adoption curve

For many people, using stablecoins for everyday payments has become common as merchant acceptance increases. 

In crypto-friendly countries (the UAE, Thailand, Turkey), stablecoins are used to pay rent or buy real estate.

Many online service providers accept stablecoins. Among them are VPN services, hosting companies, domain registration platforms, and online education.

On some freelance platforms, such as LaborX and Latium, payment with stablecoins has become standard practice.

Stablecoin Debit Cards and Payment Gateways

As we write above, stablecoins can be used via stablecoin debit cards and stablecoin payment gateways. Let’s take a closer look at the examples.

Best stablecoin cards in 2025

What card to choose for everyday payments? All of them provide instant conversion of crypto to fiat.  All named cards allow paying stablecoins online and offline. Almost every can be added to contactless payment services. 

Here is an overview of the best stablecoin cards 2025:

Coinbase Card

It is a debit Visa card that allows holders to use cryptocurrencies from their Coinbase wallet to pay for goods and services. The Coinbase card promises:

• accepted as Visa cards,
• cashback bonus, 
• no transaction fees, 
• rather low daily pay limits,
• available mainly in the USA.

Binance Card

Binance launched its cryptocurrency Visa debit card with stablecoin support. To start spending money, users need to go to a Card Wallet and transfer cryptocurrency from the spot wallet to the card within the daily limits. There are other features:

• availability anywhere Visa is accepted,
• daily cashback,
• auto top-up,
• increased daily spending limit to €870,
• available mainly in the EU.

Nexo Card

Crypto card provided by Nexo, a popular cryptocurrency savings and lending platform. The card has two modes (credit mode, debit mode), which provide more flexibility. The other features are:

• works on the Mastercard network,
• available in the EU, UK,
• card issuing needs at least $50 in the Nexo account,
• cashback depending on the loyalty level and the chosen cryptocurrency,
• loan rates start at 0% per annum; no minimum monthly payments,
• no transaction fees.

Wirex 

It is a multi-currency card issued by the cryptocurrency platform Wirex. There are some benefits for Wirex cardholders:

• works on the Mastercard and Visa network,
• available globally,
• up to 8% Cryptoback™ every time you spend,
• a monthly fee-free limit of 250 USD for ATM withdrawals,
• no annual and FX fees,
• exclusive deals and discounts.

Payment gateways enabling stablecoin use

Earlier, we mentioned how stablecoins are used with payment gateways; now we will consider specific platforms’ plugins for stablecoin use, which merchants integrate into their online stores or point-of-sale (POS) systems.  

BitPay on Shopify

BitPay serves as a payment gateway to accept crypto, including stablecoins, in a merchant’s Shopify store. It integrates directly with the Shopify-hosted checkout, simplifying the process for users.

Circle on Shopify

Circle provides financial services, including options to accept stablecoins and fiat payments, which can be used for transactions on Shopify. Like BitPay, Circle offers integrations that allow merchants to process payments through their Shopify store. 

Crypto cards vs bank cards: Pros & Cons

Both crypto cards and bank cards have their advantages and disadvantages for users. Look through them and choose the winner in the crypto cards vs bank cards challenge.

Here is a comparison chart to remind you what stablecoin cards to focus on in 2025:

Visa and Mastercard stablecoin rails explained

Visa and Mastercard have integrated USDC/USDT (stablecoin) rails for settlement long ago. Financial giants establish direct pathways for crypto partners to settle obligations using stablecoins on approved blockchains, eliminating the need to convert to traditional fiat currencies first. 

This streamlines treasury operations, speeds up cross-border transactions, and reduces associated fees by enabling partners to send stablecoins (like USDC) directly to the networks. Then it facilitates settlement with traditional financial entities. 

The use of stablecoins with Visa or Mastercard has its benefits, including instant clearing and 24/7 availability. And also has some challenges: compliance and volatility concerns.

The future of stablecoins in finance (Outlook 2025–2030)

This all leads us to think about the future of stablecoins in finance.

It depends on their coexistence with Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). CBDCs will ensure public trust, financial stability, and government oversight. Private stablecoins can maintain their niche for innovation and fast transactions, while CBDCs will support fiscal and monetary policy by offering a more robust and regulated alternative.

Tokenization of real assets, such as real estate and gold, creates Real-world assets (RWA) stablecoins. The RWA stablecoins' adoption is associated with their integration into decentralized finance (DeFi) and the growth of the tokenized asset market, which is projected to reach $16 trillion by 2030.

Stablecoin adoption by banks in 2025 is also promising. They view stablecoins and tokenized deposits as a key component of the future of finance, enabling new payment methods and treasury solutions.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors see stablecoins as new investment assets that can provide stability and returns. Banks such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) are exploring the possibility of issuing foreign currency-linked stablecoins to hedge currency risks and streamline international transactions.

Conclusion

Stablecoins are evolving from a trading tool to a mainstream payment method. Major financial market participants already use stablecoin payments to increase transaction quality and quantity. 

To try all the benefits of stablecoins, daily payments start exploring cards, gateways, and experimenting with small stablecoin payments.