You’ve probably noticed that the usual suspects—think Apple, Facebook’s Meta, and Amazon—are quietly exploring stablecoins as part of their checkout toolkit. Why? Stablecoins offer the speed of crypto without the wild price swings. Imagine buying a new gadget with a digital dollar that always stays pegged to the U.S. dollar—no conversion surprises or extra fees.

Meta’s been testing its own “Diem” reboot, while Amazon has patents hinting at a blockchain-based wallet for instant, low-cost transactions. Apple’s rumored to be in talks with major issuers to let you pay with a USDC-like token in the App Store. For customers, it could mean frictionless cross-border shopping and real-time refunds. For companies, stablecoins cut down on payment-processing costs and currency headaches.

Before this becomes mainstream, regulators will need to give the green light. But if Big Tech pulls it off, we might all be tapping our phones to pay with digital dollars sooner than you think. #BigTechStablecoin