Global Payment Giants Are Quietly Reshaping The Settlement System With Stablecoins

The world’s payment landscape is undergoing a silent revolution. While traditional financial institutions maintained their grip for decades, a new force is emerging across multiple fronts: stablecoins are becoming the de facto payment solution in regions where fiat currencies are collapsing.

Why Major Platforms Are Racing Into Stablecoins

The catalyst is simple yet profound: currency devaluation. In countries like Bolivia, the local currency is expected to depreciate 65% to 137% against the US dollar between late 2024 and mid-2025. This isn’t an isolated phenomenon. Across Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and numerous emerging markets, local currencies have lost over 80% of their value against USD in the past three years, with some experiencing 200%+ depreciation over five years.

When existing financial systems fail to preserve value, new systems emerge by necessity, not design. This is precisely why a diverse range of giants is experimenting with stablecoins: internet platforms like Trip.com (Ctrip’s international arm) and Grab, payment leaders like PayPal and Ant Group, manufacturing powerhouses like BYD and Toyota, and even traditional banks such as Bank of America and Morgan Stanley.

Trip.com’s Stablecoin Payment Launch Signals Broader Industry Shift

Trip.com recently launched stablecoin payment capabilities supporting both USDT and USDC, currently available on multiple blockchain networks including Ethereum, Tron, Polygon, Solana, Arbitrum One, and TON. The company partnered with Triple-A, a Singapore-licensed crypto payment processor, to facilitate these transactions.

Early adopters report tangible advantages: hotel bookings using USDT on Trip.com showed price discounts up to 2.35% compared to traditional payment methods, while flight tickets purchased with stablecoins demonstrated savings of approximately 18%. The payment process requires minimal information—merely a name and email for hotel transactions—highlighting another appeal of stablecoin adoption: reduced data collection friction.

This aligns with growing global sensitivity around privacy and data security, particularly relevant after Ctrip Group faced public backlash in December 2025 following a controversial tourism partnership announcement. Overseas users, more protective of personal information than domestic markets, increasingly view stablecoins as enabling frictionless commerce without surrendering extensive identity data.

The Credit Card System’s Blind Spot

Approximately 125 to 130 million individuals globally hold credit cards, meaning over 80% of the world’s population lacks access to international payment systems entirely. This exclusion is not coincidental but structural: in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and South Asia, millions remain outside formal credit systems regardless of income level.

Stablecoins bypass this gatekeeping function. They provide a globally accessible payment pathway for the majority of humanity currently excluded from traditional settlement infrastructure. For platforms targeting emerging markets, stablecoin integration becomes not merely an option but a necessity to reach untapped customer bases.

Industry Infrastructure Consolidates

The stablecoin ecosystem is rapidly professionalized. Payment companies are no longer content as intermediaries; PayPal has launched PYUSD while Ant Group pursues Hong Kong dollar stablecoin licensing, effectively attempting to transition from payment gateways to currency issuers.

Manufacturing sectors show no ideological attachment to stablecoins or cryptocurrencies generally—only practical concern: which settlement method maximizes customer spending willingness. When BYD dealers in Bolivia, Toyota facilities, and Yamaha operations globally begin accepting USDT payments, it signals normalization across supply chains, not speculation.

Transaction efficiency varies significantly across wallet providers and blockchain networks. USDT transfers via certain wallet providers incur fees as low as zero, while others charge 1-2.39 USDT depending on the underlying blockchain layer selected. This variance, though currently an inconvenience, represents early infrastructure optimization across competing networks and service providers.

The Structural Shift Ahead

The rise of stablecoins reflects not technological enthusiasm but economic desperation in specific regions. When 65-200% currency depreciation occurs faster than wage growth, when traditional payment methods fail to execute settlements reliably, when credit-based financial systems exclude billions—pragmatic actors abandon ideology for solutions.

This isn’t the world adopting stablecoins because they’re perfect. It’s the world being forced toward them because legacy systems have broken down first in certain geographies. The phenomenon will likely accelerate as currency devaluation spreads from “localized risk” to broader global instability, pushing additional platforms, merchants, and consumers toward stablecoin settlement as the least bad available option for preserving purchasing power across borders.