Cross-border Payments

OKX has launched OKX Pay and OKX Card in Europe, allowing users to spend stablecoins at Mastercard merchants and access DeFi and tokenised assets where regulations allow. The services operate under EU rules with mandatory KYC checks, combining everyday payments with regulated crypto use.

Leaders at the World Economic Forum said billions of AI agents are likely to start making payments on their own, and current banking systems are too slow and manual to support that shift. They argued that stablecoins and crypto networks are the most practical way to handle fast, automated and global payments for AI-driven activity.

Jeremy Allaire argues yield-bearing stablecoins boost adoption without threatening traditional banking, as AI-driven payments loom on the horizon.

Revolut is accelerating its expansion across Latin America, zeroing in on Peru’s multibillion-dollar remittance market as it seeks a full local banking license and ramps up competition with the region’s entrenched financial institutions.

Once a pilot, the China-led multi-CBDC platform is scaling fast—revealing how the digital yuan is emerging as the dominant currency on new cross-border payment rails.

Strategic acquisitions and U.S. licenses give Polygon the “missing pieces” to offer end-to-end, compliant crypto payments.

Visa has partnered with BVNK to let businesses send and receive payments using stablecoins through Visa Direct, putting digital dollars directly into recipients’ wallets. The rollout will start in markets with high demand for digital asset payments, with plans to expand globally over time.

Stablecoin payments on Revolut jumped 156% in 2025 to about $10.5 billion, with most transfers between $100 and $500 showing everyday use. Ethereum leads the volume, and Revolut’s easy exchange feature and growing user adoption are driving the surge.

Polygon Labs has bought US crypto payments company Coinme and Canadian crypto infrastructure firm Sequence to become a regulated payments platform in 48 U.S. states. The acquisitions give Polygon fiat on- and off-ramps, wallet infrastructure, and cross-chain tools to simplify crypto and stablecoin payments for businesses and consumers.

Bakkt Holdings is acquiring Distributed Technologies Research Ltd., a stablecoin payment provider, by issuing about 9.13 million shares to DTR shareholders. The deal aims to speed up Bakkt’s stablecoin services, reduce reliance on third parties, and support upcoming neobanking and payment offerings.