Traditional payment networks make the money move within their own gated ecosystems, while cross-border transactions operate in a different zone—slower, complex, and expensive. Yet, according to World Bank data from 2023, the average global fee for sending money abroad remained high at 6.62%.
Stablecoins bring the advantage of eliminating the concerns of traditional finance, or TradFi. Here are the top 9 real-world use cases of stablecoins.
Stablecoins in real estate tokenization
Stablecoins like USDC, USDT, and RLUSD allow real estate investors, buyers, and sellers to make payments quickly without currency conversion delays.
Purchasing properties in Dubai or London is now easier using stablecoins like RLUSD or USDC, bypassing slow international bank transfers. They also play an important role in a real estate tokenization platform.
Retail chain in Singapore
Metro Department Store accepts payments in USDT, USDC, FD121’s First Digital USD, and the Worldwide USD (WUSD) stablecoin by the Worldwide Stablecoin Payment Network for both in-store and online purchases via stablecoin payment infrastructure. As per reports, initially, it was only extended to Metro Paragon and Metro Woodlands in Singapore.
E-commerce platform Shopify, stablecoin checkout globally
Shopify partnered with payment service providers such as Stripe to allow merchants to accept USDC at checkout on Coinbase’s Base network. Without any integration or new gateways, customers can use any supported crypto wallets at guest checkout with ShopPay, while merchants receive their funds in local currency by default. This helps them avoid the foreign transaction or exchange fees.
Travel and booking websites accept stablecoins
Stablecoins simplify travel by paying for everything in crypto, besides earning crypto reward points. Travala is listed among companies that accept stablecoin payments, ranging from USDC, USDT, to even DOGE, for over 3,000,000 travel products. These rewards are offered to users for booking travel, hotels, flights, and packages using stablecoins instead of traditional payments.
Stablecoins for food and drink in parts of Latin America
Restaurants and cafés in crypto-friendly jurisdictions now accept stablecoins for food and drinks. According to reports, restaurants and fast-food chains in certain ‘crypto-friendly’ countries like El Salvador and selected Burger King outlets in Venezuela accept stablecoin payments via wallet or by scanning QR codes. It’s as if people could use stablecoin like fiat currency for meals, drinks, and everyday spending.
Hotels accepting stablecoins
Cannes and the French Riviera are known for their crypto-friendly economy with an increasing number of merchants. Partnering with Binance Pay—JW Marriott Cannes, Le Majestic Hotel, Gray d’Albion, Hôtel Mondrian Cannes, Golden Tulip, and Azurene Royal Hotel are best known for accepting crypto payments.
Stablecoins in economies with volatile fiat/high inflation
In places like Argentina and Venezuela, where inflation has eroded the value of local currencies, everyday life has pushed people toward practical solutions. Supermarkets and grocery stores reportedly began accepting USDC & USDT due to rising inflation and weakening local currency. People use stablecoins to purchase groceries, food, and other goods, preserving their value against the unstable local currency.
Stablecoin war funds
In 2022, the UN Refugee Agency accepted stablecoin crypto donations for the organization’s humanitarian support for families forced to flee Ukraine to neighboring countries. Binance donated the equivalent of $2.5 million in USD through Binance Charity. In places where fiat currency failed to serve its purpose, stablecoin found its way to meet the needs of survivors.
Stablecoin payrolls
Coinbase, the well-known crypto exchange, gives its employees the option to receive half their payment in Bitcoin or Ethereum, thanks to a built-in crypto payroll system. Many startups in the Web3 and decentralized finance (DeFi) sectors are increasingly turning to stablecoins like USDC and USDT for payroll, for faster settlement, and for alignment with the digital ecosystem.
Stablecoins were primarily meant for the on-ramping and off-ramping of fiat currency alongside having retail use cases, including crypto trading, remittances, and merchant payments. But as we look into the potential benefits of stablecoins as they become a part of our everyday life, we see no difference between fiat and cryptocurrencies.
