When consumers swipe their credit card to pay 100 yuan, merchants actually receive only 96.5 yuan—an additional 3.5 yuan becomes the transaction fee charged by the credit card company. However, the same transaction using stablecoins may incur a fee of less than 0.1 yuan. This seemingly small difference is quietly triggering a global payment revolution.
Data comparison: The century showdown between traditional payments and stablecoins
Cost dimension:
Credit card payments: Average rate 3.5%, cross-border transactions can reach 5%
Stablecoin transfers: Fees close to zero, minimum single transaction only $0.001
Potential savings: US merchants' annual payment card fees exceed $100 billion, if replaced with stablecoins, approximately $97 billion could be saved
Efficiency dimension:
Credit card settlement: 1-3 working days to arrive, extended over the weekend
Stablecoin settlement: Average arrival in 3 minutes, operating 7×24 hours
Capital utilization rate: Merchants can reduce liquidity reserves by more than 50%
Security comparison:
Credit card: Fraud rate about 0.1%, chargeback risk persists
Stablecoin: Blockchain irreversible transactions, smart contracts automatically executed
Real case: Disruptive changes in cross-border trade
An electronics exporter in Shenzhen showed us real data:
Traditional letter of credit transactions: $1,000,000 order, bank fee $15,000, takes 7 days
Using USDT for settlement: Same amount fee only $3, 10 minutes arrival
"This is not just about saving money," the company's CFO said, "The increased speed of capital turnover has led to a 300% growth in our business volume."
Policy breakthrough: The historic significance of the (GENIUS Act)
This bill officially passed in August 2025, although regulatory protection still seems insufficient, it first clarifies:
The legal status of stablecoins is equivalent to traditional payment tools
Establish a $10 million consumer protection fund
Require issuers to maintain 1:1 reserves and conduct monthly audits
"This is akin to issuing a birth certificate to the market," blockchain lawyer Li Ming analyzed, "Although still not perfect, it has broken the policy deadlock."
User behavior migration: Young people are voting with their feet
The 2025 payment habits survey report shows:
Ages 18-25 group: 43% prefer to use crypto payments
Ages 26-35 group: 29% frequently use stablecoins for consumption
Over 60% of respondents believe that "traditional credit cards are outdated"
"Last month I bought a phone with USDT, paid tuition, and even transferred money to my girlfriend," said Wang Hao, a college student born after 2000, "It arrives instantly and there's no fee, why still use a credit card?"
The counterattack and dilemma of traditional giants
Visa and Mastercard have been very active recently:
Launch blockchain settlement network B2B Connect
Launch stablecoin credit card in collaboration with Circle
Investing billions of dollars to develop modern payment systems
However, industry insiders point out: "The traditional architecture is destined to be costly, just like a carriage company building cars, ultimately hard to compete with native innovation."
Next three years: Market share forecast reshuffle
According to Bloomberg Intelligence model calculations:
2025: The proportion of stablecoin payments is expected to reach 3%
2026: Expected to exceed 8%, approaching PayPal's market share
2027: May reach 15%, beginning to pose a substantial threat to credit card status
"The turning point may come faster than expected," industry observer Zhang Lin said, "When a major retailer fully integrates stablecoin payments, the avalanche will begin."
Guidelines for ordinary users
Entry plan:
Download wallets that support fiat trading (e.g., MetaMask)
Purchase $100 worth of stablecoins through a compliant platform to test the waters
Choose merchants that support crypto payments for experience
Advanced techniques:
Arbitrage using different stablecoins (USDT/USDC price difference)
Participating in exchange flash swap functions saves Gas fees
Implement multi-chain payments using cross-chain bridges
Risk warning: Calm thinking in the midst of celebration
Regulatory policies are still evolving and may face legal uncertainties
Smart contract vulnerabilities may lead to asset losses
Price fluctuations, although small, still pose a risk of decoupling
Beginner mistakes may cause irreversible losses
"It is advised to start small," senior users remind, "while keeping a backup of traditional payment methods."
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