Mastercard's integration with stablecoins through MoonPay is an important step towards the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies in the real economy. The ability to spend USDC wherever Mastercard is accepted essentially makes cryptocurrency 'invisible' to the end user — it's convenient and feels like a regular card.
Is it worth using stablecoins for everyday payments?
In some cases — yes:
For international transfers and travel — stablecoins bypass bank fees and delays.
In countries with unstable currencies, using USDC may be more advantageous than local money.
For the Web3 economy — if you earn income in crypto, it makes sense to spend it in crypto.
But there are also limitations:
Tax reporting: in a number of countries (including the USA and parts of Europe), every crypto transaction is subject to capital gains tax.
Transparency and security: using stablecoins means complete visibility of your transactions on the blockchain (unless they are through confidential networks).
Regulations: rules are changing, and the risks of blockages/restrictions remain.
Are we close to real implementation?
Yes, technically — we are already there. The infrastructure is ready.
But mass everyday use depends on:
Legal certainty;
Simplifying UX (many do not understand how crypto works);
The stability of stablecoins (let's recall the collapse of TerraUSD — UST).
In summary: this is an important step, and for some categories of users (freelancers, crypto enthusiasts, residents of developing countries), it already makes sense to use stablecoins in everyday life. But for the mass consumer, it is still more of an early phase.
