Payments giant Stripe is diving headfirst into stablecoins, and this time they mean business. After a six-year timeout from crypto, the company confirmed its USD stablecoin product on April 27, 2025, targeting companies outside the US, UK, and Europe. And they’re not wasting any time – testing opened the very next day.
The move follows Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge, a stablecoin payments network founded by former Coinbase execs Zach Abrams and Sean Yu. Talk about a power play. The groundwork was laid back in February 2025 when Stripe and Bridge first revealed their plans to scale digital USD capabilities. With Stripe processing $1.4 trillion in payment volume by 2024, this acquisition was a natural next step. Guess those traditional payment rails weren’t enough anymore.
This isn’t just another crypto experiment. Stripe’s pushing stablecoins as the next big thing in global payments, right alongside Visa, SWIFT, and ACH. The timing couldn’t be better – users from 70 countries jumped on board immediately after launch. That’s what happens when you offer instant settlements instead of the usual days-long wait times. Their partnership with Coinbase for conversions has made the system even more accessible. The platform’s success mirrors the broader trend of stablecoin transfers reaching $10.8 trillion globally in 2023.
The technical side is surprisingly straightforward. Rather than creating their own stablecoin (because who needs another one of those?), Stripe’s focusing on making existing stablecoins easier to use. They’re integrating Bridge’s API into their Connect and Treasury products, letting businesses handle crypto payments without breaking a sweat.
The real kicker? This system is already proving its worth. African ride-sharing apps are using it to pay drivers in USDC overnight – no more waiting around for slow bank transfers.
According to Stripe’s business lead Neetika Bansal, this stablecoin infrastructure will “turbocharge cross-border commerce.” No kidding. When you can compress settlement times from days to seconds and bypass traditional banking limitations, you’re not just building a payment system – you’re reshaping global finance.
Talk about playing the long game. With this move, Stripe’s not just expanding its reach – it’s throwing down the gauntlet to traditional banking systems worldwide. And judging by the initial response, they might be onto something big.
