# Payments Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Payments", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

How Are Stablecoins Evolving from Crypto Assets to New Payment Infrastructure?

"Stablecoins: From Crypto Assets to the Infrastructure of Next-Generation Payments" The article explores the evolution of stablecoins, tracing their journey from speculative crypto assets to foundational infrastructure for global payments. The narrative is framed through the experience of Raj Parekh, former head of Visa's cryptocurrency division and now leading payments at Monad. The pivotal moment was Facebook's 2019 Libra project, which forced traditional finance to seriously consider crypto. At Visa, Parekh's team pioneered using USDC on Ethereum for settlements, solving major inefficiencies like the slow, costly T+2 settlement cycles and the need for large pre-funded accounts. A key insight was that while the technology was powerful, the underlying infrastructure was immature. Parekh left to found Portal Finance, aiming to abstract away blockchain's complexity for developers. However, he encountered a fundamental bottleneck: the need for a high-performance, EVM-compatible chain to make payments truly viable at scale. This led to Portal's acquisition by Monad Foundation. The article highlights a major shift in stablecoin business models. Early issuers like Tether and Circle profited from the interest on reserve assets. Newer models, accelerated by legislation like the GENIUS Act, are passing this yield directly to users, creating a new financial primitive: money that earns interest even while being transacted. This infrastructure enables a new era of global fintech, allowing companies to build for a worldwide audience from day one, unlike traditional banks limited by geography. The future excites Parekh most in two areas: the convergence of AI Agents with high-frequency finance for microsecond transactions, and the fusion of investment and payment accounts into a single, abstracted user experience. The ultimate goal is a future where value moves at the speed of the internet, as seamlessly as sending an email, completely invisible to the end-user.

比推12/26 15:17

How Are Stablecoins Evolving from Crypto Assets to New Payment Infrastructure?

比推12/26 15:17

Three Giants Bet $17 Million, FIN Makes a Strong Entry into Cross-Border Payments

FIN, a startup founded by former Citadel employees, has raised $17 million in a Series A round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital and Samsung Next. The company aims to revolutionize cross-border payments by leveraging stablecoin technology to address inefficiencies in the traditional financial system, such as slow processing times, high fees, and complex procedures. Originally launched as TipLink—a lightweight tool for transferring crypto assets via URL links—FIN has pivoted to focus on high-value transactions for businesses and high-net-worth individuals. It uses USDC as its primary settlement medium, enabling instant, low-cost international transfers. Users can send funds to other FIN users, deposit directly into bank accounts, or use crypto channels, all while avoiding technical complexities like gas fees or private keys. The core team, including CEO Ian Krotinsky and CTO Aashiq Dheeraj, brings extensive experience from Citadel and other major firms. FIN generates revenue through transaction fees and interest earned on stablecoins held in wallets. With a pilot program for import-export enterprises upcoming, FIN aims to set a new standard for efficiency in global commercial payments.

marsbit12/26 10:01

Three Giants Bet $17 Million, FIN Makes a Strong Entry into Cross-Border Payments

marsbit12/26 10:01

Stepping into the Stablecoin Wave for Six Years, He Sees the Embryonic Form of the Future of Payments

"Six years into the stablecoin wave, Raj Parekh, former head of crypto at Visa and now leading payments at Monad, reflects on the evolution and future of digital payments. He identifies 2019 and Facebook’s Libra project as a pivotal moment that forced traditional finance to take crypto seriously. At Visa, he led efforts to integrate USDC for near-instant settlement, overcoming slow, costly legacy systems. Parekh later founded Portal Finance to build payment infrastructure, but encountered scalability limitations across blockchains. This led to Portal’s acquisition by Monad, where he now focuses on high-performance, EVM-compatible chains capable of sub-second finality—critical for global payment adoption. He sees stablecoins entering a "email moment" for money: enabling instant, low-cost global value transfer. New business models are emerging where issuers share interest earnings with users, transforming stablecoins into interest-bearing assets even during transactions. This shift, coupled with supportive regulation like the GENIUS Act, is driving broader institutional adoption. Looking ahead, Parekh is excited about AI-powered agentic payments and high-frequency finance, where autonomous agents execute microsecond-speed transactions. He envisions a future where decentralized infrastructure seamlessly integrates into everyday apps, enabling global, efficient, and programmable money movement—ushering in a new era for both finance and user experience."

marsbit12/26 05:40

Stepping into the Stablecoin Wave for Six Years, He Sees the Embryonic Form of the Future of Payments

marsbit12/26 05:40

Circle 2025 Year in Review: Building a Full-Stack Crypto Economy Platform

Circle's 2025 Year in Review highlights the successful construction of its full-stack encrypted economic platform, driven by key regulatory breakthroughs and global expansion. The passage of the U.S. GENIUS Act and the implementation of the EU’s MiCA framework provided regulatory foundation for full-reserve stablecoins, positioning them as core components of the global financial system. Circle’s strategy revolves around three pillars: trusted digital assets (USDC, EURC, USYC), real-world applications, and the Arc blockchain. USDC’s market cap grew 75% to $77B, EURC surged 328%, and USYC reached $1.54B in AUM. Major institutional partnerships were formed with ICE, Deutsche Börse, Finastra, FIS, and others, integrating stablecoins into payments, clearing, and treasury management. The Circle Payments Network (CPN) enabled real-time cross-border transactions, while StableFX reformed foreign exchange with on-chain settlement. The company also advanced AI agent payments and launched the Arc blockchain—an EVM-compatible L1 designed for real-world economic activity, which saw strong institutional interest during its testnet phase. Circle expanded financial inclusion through initiatives like its partnership with Nubank, serving 127M users in Latin America, and its “1% Pledge” program supporting普惠金融globally. The report concludes that 2025 marked a turning point in the transition toward an open, programmable, and internet-native financial system.

深潮12/25 01:54

Circle 2025 Year in Review: Building a Full-Stack Crypto Economy Platform

深潮12/25 01:54

South Korean Giant BC Card Concludes Stablecoin Payments Pilot Ahead Of 2026 Framework

South Korean payments giant BC Card has completed a two-month pilot project enabling foreigners to use stablecoins for payments at domestic merchants. The pilot, conducted with partners including Wavebridge and Aaron Group, tested the stability and convenience of converting foreign-held stablecoins into digital prepaid cards for QR code transactions, eliminating the need for physical cards or currency exchange. BC Card integrated the system into its existing payment infrastructure, allowing transactions to function like conventional card payments. The initiative is part of preparations for future regulatory changes, as South Korea anticipates a framework for won-pegged stablecoins by 2026. The project aims to establish a compliant "Korean-style stablecoin payment infrastructure" aligned with upcoming legislation.

bitcoinist12/24 07:04

South Korean Giant BC Card Concludes Stablecoin Payments Pilot Ahead Of 2026 Framework

bitcoinist12/24 07:04

South Korean card giant completes stablecoin payments pilot for foreigners

BC Card, one of South Korea's largest payment processors, has completed a pilot project enabling foreign users to pay local merchants using stablecoins. The initiative, conducted with partners including Wavebridge and Aaron Group, allowed users to convert overseas stablecoins into digital prepaid cards. The pilot is part of BC Card's broader strategy to implement a stablecoin payment system, responding to evolving regulations in South Korea. The country is actively discussing won-based stablecoins, though regulatory progress has been delayed due to disagreements between the Financial Services Commission and the Bank of Korea. Globally, stablecoins are gaining traction as payment alternatives, with companies like YouTube and Visa adopting them for payouts and settlements.

cointelegraph12/23 13:38

South Korean card giant completes stablecoin payments pilot for foreigners

cointelegraph12/23 13:38

Ripple Chiseled a Crack in the Wall, but Swift Tore Down the Entire Wall

At the Sibos 2025 conference, Swift announced the integration of a blockchain-based shared ledger into its infrastructure, built on Consensys' Ethereum Layer-2 network Linea, to enable secure, real-time, and interoperable digital finance. This move, supported by major banks like JPMorgan and Citibank, aims to bridge traditional finance with tokenized assets using zk-EVM technology for faster, cheaper, and more transparent settlements. While Ripple pioneered blockchain-based cross-border payments with XRP Ledger and achieved significant legal and operational milestones—including court victories against the SEC and expansion into 40+ markets—its reach remains limited compared to Swift’s global network of over 11,000 institutions. Ripple’s model relies heavily on XRP as a bridge currency, whereas Swift’s asset-agnostic approach supports multiple currencies, stablecoins, and CBDCs, reducing dependency on any single asset. Swift’s adoption of blockchain signals a major shift in global finance, potentially freeing trillions in trapped capital and enabling 24/7 real-time settlement. This transition from legacy systems to mathematically verified transactions represents a convergence of TradFi and DeFi, positioning Swift to dominate the next era of value transfer.

marsbit12/23 03:27

Ripple Chiseled a Crack in the Wall, But Swift Tore Down the Entire Wall

At the Sibos 2025 conference, Swift announced a major evolution of its financial infrastructure by integrating a blockchain-based shared ledger to support tokenized assets and enable secure, real-time, and interoperable global transactions. The new system, built on Consensys' Ethereum Layer 2 network Linea, uses zk-EVM rollup technology to reduce costs and settlement times while meeting banking security standards. Over 30 major banks, including JPMorgan and Citibank, are participating in the pilot. The article reflects on Ripple’s long-standing effort to challenge traditional cross-border payments using XRP and RippleNet, which has seen adoption in retail and corporate remittances despite earlier regulatory challenges. However, Swift’s move represents a broader and more systemic shift. Unlike Ripple’s XRP-dependent model, Swift’s ledger is asset-agnostic, supporting CBDCs, stablecoins, and fiat currencies, and leverages its existing network of over 11,000 institutions. This transition marks a convergence of traditional and decentralized finance, enabling 24/7 settlement, reducing reliance on pre-funded accounts, and potentially freeing up trillions in trapped capital. By adopting a neutral, interoperable, and highly scalable blockchain framework, Swift is positioned to redefine global value transfer—moving from a legacy telegraphic model to a digitally-native, mathematically-verified system.

深潮12/23 02:52

EU council endorses offline and online versions of digital euro

The Council of the European Union has endorsed the European Central Bank’s design for a digital euro, supporting the simultaneous launch of both online and offline versions. A key feature is the offline digital euro, which aims to function like cash by allowing device-to-device transactions without internet connection and preventing user activity tracking. However, the system faces security challenges, such as vulnerability to relay attacks exploiting near-field communication (NFC). The European Data Protection Board has expressed concerns, noting that physical proximity—a core feature of cash—is difficult to enforce digitally. Both versions would store private keys in certified devices like smartphones or cards. ECB President Christine Lagarde emphasized that final approval depends on EU lawmakers.

cointelegraph12/22 22:50

EU council endorses offline and online versions of digital euro

cointelegraph12/22 22:50

How US banks are quietly preparing for an onchain future

US banks are methodically preparing for an onchain future by focusing on tokenizing traditional financial products like deposits, funds, and custody services, rather than speculative crypto assets. Key initiatives include JPMorgan’s JPM Coin and Citi’s Token Services for institutional payments, as well as experiments with tokenized money market funds and real-world assets. These efforts are largely occurring in wholesale payments and settlement, with strong regulatory oversight. Major banks are also building compliant custody solutions for digital assets. Regulators are permitting these activities within tightly supervised frameworks, emphasizing risk management and operational resilience. This incremental shift is reshaping financial infrastructure with embedded automation, real-time settlement, and reduced counterparty risk.

cointelegraph12/22 17:25

How US banks are quietly preparing for an onchain future

cointelegraph12/22 17:25