Walmart and Amazon Weigh Stablecoin Launch

According to the Wall Street Journal, both Walmart and Amazon are exploring the launch of stablecoins. They see this as a way to reduce payment fees and speed up settlements.

This stablecoin move could mark a major shift in how large merchants handle money in the digital age.

Regulations and Retailers Drive Stablecoin Growth

While the plans are still early, they depend heavily on regulatory clarity expected from the proposed Genius Act. If passed, the legislation would set clearer rules for companies that issue and use stablecoins, removing a major barrier to adoption. Both retailers are also considering joining a merchant-led stablecoin consortium or working with existing stablecoin providers.

The promise of stablecoins is simple: faster, cheaper, and programmable payments. Traditional credit card transactions often come with processing fees of 2 to 3%, along with settlement delays that can stretch for days. Stablecoins, by contrast, can settle in seconds at a fraction of the cost.

Walmart has already dipped its toe into the blockchain world. In 2019, the company filed a patent for a digital currency tied to the US dollar. While it didn’t move forward then, today’s stablecoin infrastructure is more mature. Amazon, for its part, has long been rumored to be developing a digital payment solution. In 2021, it posted a job opening for a “digital currency and blockchain product lead,” signaling growing internal interest.

A Turning Point for Stablecoins

The timing couldn’t be better. According to CoinGecko, the stablecoin market sits just above $260 billion, and large institutions are increasingly exploring tokenized cash. A recent Deloitte report noted that 70 percent of surveyed financial executives expect digital assets to be part of their future business models.

A real-world example comes from PayPal, which launched its stablecoin, PYUSD, in 2023. The move helped reduce friction in digital payments while giving users a stable on-chain option to move funds. If Walmart and Amazon follow suit, it could normalize stablecoin use in everyday retail and drive mass adoption.

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