Pay in Crypto, Earn in Cash: Shopify Partners with Coinbase and Stripe to Let Merchants Accept USDC Hassle-Free

Shopify Moves To Simplify Global Payments With USDC Integration

Shopify is implementing a new way for merchants to accept stablecoin payments, teaming up with Coinbase and Stripe to enable transactions in USDC across 34 countries.

The service is already in early access and is expected to reach more merchants worldwide in the coming months.

The initiative is built on Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network, and is designed to work seamlessly within Shopify’s existing payment and order systems.

Customers can now pay using USDC via hundreds of supported crypto wallets, while merchants can choose to receive either the stablecoin or a direct payout in their local fiat currency.

According to Shopify, no foreign exchange or cross-border transaction fees will apply.

Why Use Base? Platform Chooses Speed And Affordability Over Interoperability

Shopify chose to power the feature using Base, citing its speed, low cost, and global reach.

Coinbase said the partnership supports its mission to bring a billion users onchain, while Stripe handled backend processes through Stripe Connect, allowing Shopify merchants to use the system without dealing with crypto infrastructure directly.

However, the decision to rely solely on Base drew criticism from some corners of the crypto space.

Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius, a Solana-based development firm, questioned the narrow approach, saying,

“What’s the point of narrowing your top of funnel? You should support all chains that Stripe via USDC supports.”

Merchants Can Receive Local Payouts Without Changing Operations

The new capability aims to remove traditional barriers to accepting digital assets, letting businesses manage stablecoin payments without changing how they run operations.

Stripe confirmed that all transactions will be settled into the merchant’s bank account in local currency unless otherwise selected.

According to Stripe’s head of crypto money movement, Neetika Bansal, in a official release,

“Now those businesses can reach more markets at lower costs — all without having to change how they already run their business.”

Shopify’s COO Kaz Nejatian added,

“Stripe has long handled the hard parts of payments so our merchants don’t have to. Now they’re doing the same for stablecoins—making it simple for our merchants to meet booming global demand without wrestling with crypto infrastructure.”

How Coinbase And Shopify Are Building A New Protocol For Crypto Commerce

Coinbase revealed that the partnership also introduces a new protocol, developed jointly with Shopify, to streamline crypto payments for commercial use.

While current onchain payments work well for peer-to-peer transfers, Coinbase says they often lack the steps required for full retail transactions.

The new protocol aims to solve this by adding structure to payments made onchain, tailored for e-commerce.

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke noted that the system works with smart contracts, allowing businesses to use stablecoins while still receiving regular local payouts.

He wrote,

“It’s all transparent to merchants. They will simply get normal local currency payouts the same as usual (unless you choose to keep it as USDC).”

He also hinted at possible future incentives for shoppers, including a 1% cashback on USDC payments.

Stripe Points To Growing Demand As Stablecoin Volumes Surge

Stripe shared that more than $94 billion in stablecoin transactions were processed over the past two years.

Monthly volumes grew from under $2 billion to over $6.3 billion during that time.

The payments firm recently deepened its crypto focus by acquiring wallet provider Privy, as part of its broader push into blockchain-powered financial services.

As of 13 June 2025, USDC is trading at $0.9997 with a market cap of $61.08 billion and a daily trading volume of $14.94 billion.

Despite its stable price, USDC remains behind rival stablecoin Tether in terms of total market share.

A Larger Shift Toward Stablecoin Use In Retail Transactions

Shopify has previously explored blockchain integrations, including a 2023 collaboration with Solana Pay.

This latest move signals growing momentum among retail platforms to bring crypto into everyday commerce — not by replacing fiat, but by making digital assets easier to use at scale.

Coinbase called the development a major step toward bringing stablecoins into real-world commerce, while Shopify, in its official release, described it as a way for merchants to “sell to a customer on the other side of the world as easily as their next-door neighbour.”

Is This the First Step Towards Borderless Commerce?

If stablecoins can quietly power seamless global trade behind the scenes—without merchants needing to think twice—then perhaps the future of payments won’t be crypto as a novelty, but crypto as infrastructure.

The question is no longer if businesses will adopt it, but how invisible it can become.