Overview

• Mastercard joined the Paxos Global Dollar Network to enable institutions to mint and redeem USDG while supporting FIUSD, PYUSD and USDC.
• Walmart and Amazon are exploring pilot programs for proprietary stablecoins to slash interchange fees and speed up merchant settlements.
• The Senate-approved stablecoin bill mandates issuers to hold full reserves, conduct monthly audits and implement anti-money laundering safeguards.
• Shopify merchants can accept Circle’s USDC through Stripe and Coinbase integrations and will earn 1% cashback paid in USDC.
• Consumer uptake remains challenged by the need for crypto wallets, absence of FDIC insurance and differing reward and fraud protections compared with cards.