- Shopify has launched USDC payments via the Base network on its platform
- Stripe has deepened its integration to help merchants accept USDC in 34 countries with local‐currency settlement
- Shopify and Coinbase have co‑developed a smart contract protocol, offering 1% cash back to USDC‑paying customers
Shopify and Stripe have both strengthened support for US Dollar Coin (USDC) for merchants, making stablecoin acceptance easier and more rewarding. Shopify has enabled USDC payments via Coinbase’s Base layer‑2 network, integrated directly into Shop Pay and Shopify Payments. Stripe has expanded its stablecoin infrastructure, allowing merchants in over thirty countries to receive funds in either USDC or their local currency seamlessly, representing another step in the mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies.
Shopify Goes Back to Base
Shopify’s crypto history dates back to 2022 when it announced a tie-in with Strike to expand the company’s reach and embed Bitcoin’s Lightning Network into mainstream use. It has now turned its attention to stablecoins, rolling out USDC acceptance to select merchants, allowing them to receive payments on Coinbase’s Base network with no disruption to existing workflows.
Through the “Commerce Payments Protocol” jointly built with Coinbase, merchants gain full e‑commerce features like delayed captures, tax handling, and refunds. Shopify confirmed plans to reward customers paying in USDC with 1% cash back later this year. A Coinbase engineer echoed the move on X, calling the new Commerce Payments Protocol “a new standard for scalable, trust‑minimized commerce. Powering USDC payments on @base for select merchants today and millions of Shopify stores worldwide soon.”
The choice of Base stems from its fast, secure, and low‑cost transaction environment, and Shopify insists merchants can have funds settled into their local currency without foreign exchange fees, or claim USDC directly.
Stripe Ramps Up Stablecoin Support
As part of the three-way deal, Stripe has formalized deeper support for USDC, enabling Shopify merchants across 34 countries to use stablecoins at checkout, with settlement flexibility into fiat or directly as crypto. Stripe now powers stablecoin financial accounts in 101 countries, allowing businesses to hold and transfer USDC or USDB, and to settle via traditional rails like ACH, SEPA, and Visa-linked cards. Stripe CEO Patrick Collison emphasized the convergence of AI and stablecoins as “gale‑force tailwinds” reshaping payment infrastructure.
This move signals a pivotal moment: stablecoin payments are transitioning from niche to mainstream. For merchants, especially small businesses selling globally, USDC offers faster, cheaper, and more borderless transactions. The coupling of smart contracts with familiar commerce logic promises frictionless integration, with no need for new gateways or wallet setups.
From a consumer perspective, incentives like Shopify’s planned 1 % USDC cash‑back aim to drive adoption. For fintech, the collaboration between Shopify, Coinbase, and Stripe illustrates how stablecoins are being embedded into existing infrastructure rather than requiring separate crypto experiences, easing both merchant and customer onboarding.
