payments

According to CoinDesk, the fast-food chain Steak 'n Shake stated that its decision to accept Bitcoin payments nine months ago has significantly boosted same-store sales.In a statement released on the X platform on Monday, the company said that Bitcoin payments would go directly into its strategic Bitcoin reserves, which would then be used to distribute bonuses to employees. Earlier this year, the company revealed that it had increased its corporate financial reserves by acquiring $10 million worth of Bitcoin, creating a self-reinforcing cycle: customers pay with BTC, sales rise, and crypto revenue flows back into the reserves.Steak 'n Shake began accepting Bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network in May of last year. Since then, its same-store sales initially recorded a 10% increase. The company's Chief Operating Officer, Dan Edwards, revealed that when customers pay with cryptocurrency, the company can save about 50% on processing fees. In October of last year, the fast-food chain launched a Bitcoin-themed burger and donated a small portion of the proceeds from each Bitcoin meal to open-source Bitcoin development projects.

According to Jinshi News, ECB Governing Council member Nagel stated that euro-denominated stablecoins could facilitate cheap international transfers, complementing the European Central Bank's efforts to promote the digital euro.He pointed out that Europe must become more independent in its payment systems and emphasized the importance of creating a digital euro. Nagel mentioned that euro-denominated stablecoins could be used by individuals and businesses for low-cost cross-border payments, indicating that the ECB's attitude towards this area is becoming more open.

According to Bitcoin News, Lightning Labs has officially released a set of open-source tools that allow AI agents to autonomously send and receive Bitcoin payments through the Bitcoin Lightning Network without the need for human approval, accounts, login credentials, or API keys.The toolkit uses the L402 protocol, built on the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" standard. Websites can send Lightning Network invoices to AI agents, and after payment, the agents receive a digital payment receipt as an access key to unlock services or data. The toolkit also includes the "lnget" tool, which can automatically handle paid content access requests in the background. Additionally, the toolkit supports AI running Lightning nodes, managing permissions, hosting paid services, and completing transactions between agents, while also incorporating spending limits and remote signing protection.

Coinbase stated in its letter to shareholders that it will focus on three key priorities in 2026:Developing a comprehensive trading platform: Expanding Coinbase into the only trusted platform for customers to trade a variety of assets (cryptocurrencies, derivatives, stocks, and prediction markets), helping customers manage larger portfolios and deepen engagement.Expanding stablecoins and payments: Accelerating the utility of USDC and the payment tech stack (APIs, wallets, and merchant channels) to make value transfer faster, cheaper, and more convenient, while seizing the next opportunity. A wave of real-world applications beyond trading.Bringing the world on-chain: Simplifying and making on-chain experiences more accessible by expanding DeFi integrations in the Coinbase app and focusing more on trading to enhance the Base app. Coinbase's infrastructure continues to drive growth in the activity on the Base platform, so increased usage also relies on Coinbase's infrastructure. Coinbase enters 2026 with strong product development momentum and a clear strategy.

According to official news from Base, Stripe has launched the x402 payment feature on Base, which allows developers to charge AI agents directly using USDC.

Upbit released the "Digital Asset and Deposit Audit Report" audited by Sunghyun Accounting Firm, which disclosed that Upbit holds approximately 103.19% of the digital assets it intends to pay to customers, and the deposit audit results show that Upbit holds 105.72% of the funds available for customer payments.

According to official news, the OKX Card has officially launched in Europe. This product aims to integrate on-chain payments into daily life within a compliant framework, allowing users to spend using stablecoins and achieve real-time conversion, simplifying traditional payment processes and enhancing payment efficiency.OKX stated that the OKX Card is centered around stablecoins and is designed for real-world payment scenarios, aiming to promote a more convenient and efficient payment experience, further exploring the practical application value of stablecoins in the global financial system.

According to market news, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has opened a public consultation on the draft implementation guidelines involving cryptocurrencies, electronic payment tools, and financial institutions. The draft clarifies the specific execution requirements following the amendment of the Payment Services Act in 2025, including updates to official announcements, administrative guidelines, and regulatory rules.The draft covers multiple areas, including the designation of newly added bonds as supporting assets, the regulatory framework for electronic payment tools and cryptocurrency-related intermediary services, as well as updated regulatory guidelines for financial institutions and their subsidiaries. This consultation will end on February 27, 2026, after which the regulations will come into effect following the completion of necessary procedures, and the results of the consultation will be announced separately.It is reported that the Financial Services Agency of Japan is planning a comprehensive adjustment of the regulatory framework, aiming to launch the country's first spot cryptocurrency ETFs by 2028. The roadmap includes reclassifying cryptocurrencies as "specific assets" under the Investment Trust Act, promoting a reduction of the cryptocurrency capital gains tax from a maximum of 55% to a uniform 20%, and allowing time to strengthen custody and investor protection standards.

PayPal and the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) survey shows that 39% of U.S. merchants have accepted cryptocurrency payments, and 84% expect it to become the norm within five years.Strong consumer demand: 88% of merchants have received inquiries from customers about cryptocurrency payments, with the highest demand from millennials (77%) and Generation Z (73%); the hospitality industry (81%) and digital goods and luxury retail (76%) lead the way. 90% of merchants stated they would accept cryptocurrency payments if the process were as simple as credit cards.Additionally, among the top 25 U.S. banks by assets, 15 have launched or announced Bitcoin custody trading services, including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. Analysts believe that 2026 could be a turning point for cryptocurrency payments.

A recent survey released by PayPal shows that nearly 85% of surveyed merchants expect cryptocurrency payments to become the norm within the next five years. The survey was conducted in late October 2025, covering approximately 620 "payment strategy decision-makers."The survey data indicates that nearly 90% of merchants reported receiving inquiries from consumers about using cryptocurrency for payments, with about 40% of merchants already supporting crypto payments at checkout. Among those who have accepted cryptocurrency payments, a significant portion stated that crypto payments account for more than a quarter of their total sales, and about three-quarters of merchants reported an increase in related sales over the past year.May Zabaneh, Vice President and General Manager of PayPal's crypto business, stated that cryptocurrency payments are moving from the experimental phase to everyday commercial applications, driven primarily by consumer demand for faster and more flexible payment methods. Once merchants start to adopt it, they can see the actual value.In terms of scale, the adoption of cryptocurrency payments is mainly driven by large enterprises. Among companies with annual revenues exceeding $500 million, about 50% have accepted cryptocurrency payments, while the proportions for small and medium-sized enterprises are 34% and 32%, respectively. Additionally, about 90% of merchants indicated that they would be willing to try cryptocurrency payments if the experience and onboarding process could match that of traditional card payments.The background of this survey is closely related to the progress of stablecoin regulation. Following the implementation of the GENIUS Act, clear guidelines for the issuance and trading of stablecoins have emerged. PayPal, as one of the earliest mainstream payment institutions to engage with stablecoins, is seeing its related practices followed by more banks and fintech companies.

According to CoinDesk, Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante stated that the Solana ecosystem has become more focused on a more pragmatic area over the past year: financial infrastructure.After years of exploration in the cryptocurrency space around NFTs, gaming, and social tokens, attention is now shifting back to decentralized finance, trading, and payments.

According to market news, Oklahoma lawmaker Dusty Deevers has proposed a bill that allows state government employees, businesses, and individuals to accept Bitcoin payments.

According to CoinDesk, a recent report by McKinsey and Artemis Analytics states that last year, stablecoins transferred over $35 trillion in funds on the blockchain, but only about 1% of that was used for real-world payments.Their analysis estimates that only $380 billion of the activity reflects actual payments, such as payments to suppliers, remittances, or payroll.This represents a tiny fraction of the total global payments, approximately 0.02% of the total global payments, while McKinsey estimates that the total global payments exceed $20 trillion annually.

Binance founder CZ spoke at the "Financial New Era" panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, stating that the overall scale of the trading platform has surpassed last year. Currently, the crypto industry has two mature sectors: trading platforms and stablecoins. He is optimistic about three new directions for the future:First, Tokenization is a very important direction. By tokenizing certain assets, governments can effectively address financial issues, enhance the efficiency of the financial system, and thereby promote the development of related industries and trading markets.The second is Payments. In the past, we have also tried crypto payments, but frankly, there weren't many actual users. However, there is now a trend emerging: traditional payment methods are integrating with crypto technology. For example, users complete payments using cards like Visa and Mastercard, funds are deducted from their accounts, and merchants receive fiat currency, while settlements and bridging occur behind the scenes through stablecoins and blockchain. This model is gradually being implemented and will definitely develop in the future.The third direction is Artificial Intelligence (AI). He believes that the "native currency" of AI Agents should naturally be cryptocurrency, as blockchain is currently the most suitable native technological interface for AI Agents. Today's AI is not yet a true Agent; they do not book flights, reserve restaurants, or complete payments directly for you. However, once AI truly possesses the ability to act and transact, cryptocurrency will become its most natural and native method of payment and settlement.

With the cryptocurrency card infrastructure company Rain completing a $250 million Series C funding round this month and reaching a valuation of nearly $2 billion, competition in the crypto payment sector around "how stablecoins are truly spent" is rapidly intensifying.Research firm Artemis data shows that the scale of cryptocurrency card payments is growing at an annualized rate of 106%, with an annualized transaction volume reaching $18 billion, close to the scale of approximately $19 billion in stablecoin peer-to-peer transfers. Artemis researcher Patrick Kim expects that by the end of this year, cryptocurrency cards will become the primary retail payment scenario for stablecoins.Currently, this "payment stack battle" is unfolding along three main paths: first, the full-stack issuance model. Rain, in collaboration with Hong Kong-based Reap, has become a principal member of Visa, integrating complete infrastructure such as card issuance and settlement, bypassing the traditional banking system. Rain disclosed that its card user base has grown 30 times year-on-year, with payment volumes increasing 38 times, and the platform now has over 200 clients.Second, the orchestration layer model. Stripe's acquisition of Bridge for $1.1 billion and the approximately $1 billion valuation of Zero Hash represents a bet by large tech and financial infrastructure companies on "chain-agnostic" solutions, helping merchants accept and settle stablecoins without concern for the underlying blockchain.Third, payment-specific blockchains. Some new players believe that general-purpose chains like Ethereum were not designed for payments. Supported by Bitfinex, Stable is set to launch a payment-focused blockchain by the end of 2025 and has already secured approximately $2 billion in pre-funding, aiming to achieve a stablecoin transfer experience without additional gas costs.Geographically, emerging markets are the core driving force behind the growth of stablecoin payments. The real payment demand in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia is significantly higher than in Europe and North America. Data shows that Visa currently holds over 90% of the on-chain card payment market share, primarily due to its support for USDC in native stablecoin settlement pilots, while USDT has not yet been incorporated into this system.

A survey conducted by the Bitcoin mining company GoMining among 5,700 respondents shows that over 55% of cryptocurrency holders rarely or never spend Bitcoin, but nearly 80% support broader adoption and believe in BTC as a payment method.Respondents pointed out that the main factors limiting Bitcoin payments include limited merchant acceptance, high fees, and privacy and security concerns. GoMining CEO Mark Zalan stated: Users want to spend cryptocurrency frictionlessly and earn rewards while spending.However, Artemis data also shows that monthly transaction volume for crypto cards surged from $100 million at the beginning of 2023 to $1.5 billion by the end of 2025, indicating that payment infrastructure is improving.

According to Jinshi reports, sources revealed that the Reserve Bank of India proposed that BRICS member countries interconnect their digital currencies for cross-border payments. The Reserve Bank of India has requested the government to include this proposal in the agenda for the 2026 BRICS summit.

According to the Artemis research report, cryptocurrency cards have become a key channel for stablecoin usage, with an annual transaction volume of $18 billion, approaching the $19 billion scale of peer-to-peer stablecoin on-chain transfers.Currently, Visa dominates this market, accounting for over 90% of the transaction volume. Despite rapid growth, Artemis believes that direct cryptocurrency payments will still struggle to fully replace traditional card networks in the short term.