Author: Innokenty Isers, Founder and CEO of Paybis
The loudest signal in recent months is not the price charts—but a checkout button.
PayPal has enabled cryptocurrency for U.S. merchants at the point of sale, promising near-instant settlement and international fees that are 90% lower than the current situation.
This difference is not just about cost reduction; it rewrites the economics of cross-border commerce.
It also indicates what the next phase of cryptocurrency adoption will look like: embedded in everyday payments and widely accessible, rather than speculative, flashy, and limited to traders.
Developers have spent years waiting for a compliance path to follow, and it has come first for payments. In Europe, MiCA has created a single rulebook for stablecoin issuance and electronic money tokens, with key provisions coming into effect in 2024-2025.
Singapore's framework outlines the redemption, reserve, and disclosure rules for single currency stablecoins.
Hong Kong has already opened licensing for issuers, moving from pilot projects to full regulation.
While trading remains unclear in many jurisdictions, payments now have a regulatory path, and stablecoins are increasingly seen as financial infrastructure rather than speculative tools.
When tens of millions of people "use cryptocurrency" on a large scale for the first time, they may not even notice. PayPal's cryptocurrency checkout tool supports over 100 tokens and wallets, settling in the background for stablecoins or fiat. This is the simplicity that mainstream users expect.
Corporate signals are also lining up. JD.com has stated it will seek stablecoin licenses in major markets, reducing cross-border settlement times to a few seconds.
This is the form of mass adoption. It’s not about teaching everyone mnemonic phrases, but about making payments work faster and cheaper within tools that people already trust.
Some readers may feel dissatisfied with this pragmatism—large payment companies mediating the future of stablecoins may feel like handing too much power back to traditional gatekeepers.
Others may argue that stablecoins still carry systemic and policy risks, a point that the European Central Bank has strongly expressed. These criticisms are healthy as they reinforce the need for oversight and resilience as payments expand.
Many cryptocurrency applications are primarily designed for speculation—deep charts, reward pop-ups, and complex staking processes. This user experience excludes the everyday users that payment solutions are meant to serve.
When every screen is shouting "buy the dip," parents sending remittances or freelancers invoicing overseas will click away. To reach them, platforms must look less like exchanges and more like utilities—compliant, predictable, and available when needed.
This pragmatic standard is clearly defined. It means high uptime under high demand, clean fiat deposit and withdrawal channels, and KYC/AML processes that feel like opening a modern bank account rather than a week-long treasure hunt. It also empowers back-office operations through blockchain advantages, such as shared tamper-proof records, reducing duplicate audits, and speeding up reconciliations. Mobile-first is the default setting (most payments originate from mobile), and customer support must speak the language and laws of each market.
The point is clear: payments can achieve effective regulation and scaling earlier than other cryptocurrency verticals.
Payments change who benefits from cryptocurrency, shifting the benefits from traders to businesses and households. Remittances that used to cost 5%-10% now cost about 0.99% in PayPal's program, representing a meaningful value transfer for small businesses and families. When costs drop significantly, transaction volumes follow, and the winners will be those companies that look and act like regulated financial utilities.
Analysts emphasize this: stablecoins intersect with traditional finance and cryptocurrency, and their regulatory momentum is unparalleled across jurisdictions. If payments are the most transparent use case today, stablecoins are the tracks that power them.
Risks still exist. Policymakers are concerned about capital flows, consumer protection, and illicit finance—they are right, especially as mainland China experiments through Hong Kong's cautious system. Market builders should welcome rigorous audits, quick redemptions, reserve quality rules, and real-time monitoring.
These are not obstacles but prerequisites for global coverage. The reality is that better compliance technology (something some skeptics worry about) is precisely what will ultimately unlock the mainstream utility of cryptocurrency.
Author: Innokenty Isers, Founder and CEO of Paybis
Related: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) releases regulatory agenda, including cryptocurrency safe harbor, broker-dealer reform
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
Original: “Opinion: The Future of Cryptocurrency Lies in Achieving the Utility of Global Payments”
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