An educational perspective on the strategic opportunity in crypto payments and how WalletConnect Pay enables it.
In 2026, crypto isn’t on the fringes of payments anymore; it’s increasingly part of how money moves in the real world. What was once a niche use case has become a tangible demand from consumers, merchants, and even major fintech platforms.
Payment companies need to understand why crypto payments matter and how they can build products that enable them.
Crypto payments are growing and fast!
Stablecoins and crypto payments are no longer fringe:
- Stablecoin transaction volume grew 83% between July 2024 and July 2025, and payments giants like Visa/Mastercard have processed over $120 billion in crypto-related purchases. (Source)
- Stablecoins were the primary choice in over 35% of all crypto payment transactions, showing a clear shift toward assets built for stability and commerce. (Source)
- In 2025, stablecoin payments have surged, climbing more than 70% year-to-date and surpassing $10+ billion in real-world settlement volumes. (Source)
- Crypto card payments alone are now processing approximately $18 billion annually, indicating consumer and business usage across familiar card rails. (Source)
These figures show two important trends:
- Crypto is being spent, not just traded.
- Stable, digital dollars are emerging as a preferred way to settle value.
There is widespread consumer demand waiting to be unlocked
Crypto use isn’t limited to early adopters or hobbyists:
- Over 560 million people globally held crypto as of 2024, representing a significant consumer base that payment companies can reach. (Source)
- Merchants are responding: over 12,800 businesses worldwide accepted crypto payments, up 50% year-over-year, and 88% of them reported increased revenue after enabling crypto pay. (Source)
This isn’t just interest, it’s adoption, and it’s growing.
Merchants want choice, and they’re starting to ask for it
Despite growing crypto ownership and merchant reports of higher revenue, crypto payment acceptance remains early:
- Only around 7% of merchants using crypto-enabled systems process crypto payments regularly. (Source)
That gap is not a lack of interest; it’s a lack of products that work the way merchants need them to: reliable, integrated, and compliant with existing payment workflows.
The challenge payment companies face
Crypto is not “just another currency.” Traditionally, it has required:
- Specialized routing logic
- New settlement and reconciliation systems
- Integration with multiple wallets and assets
- Crypto-native tooling that doesn’t align with PSP stacks
That makes building crypto payment products from scratch:
- Expensive
- Complex
- Slow to deliver real merchant value
What a real crypto payment product looks like
A product that fits into existing payment stacks must allow:
- Simple integration with the current PSP infrastructure
- Settlement that behaves like familiar payment methods
- Reconciliation without introducing new operational models
- Support for any wallet and any asset, not a single siloed option
This is where many legacy efforts fall short; they treat crypto as a separate rail, not as a compatible payment method.
WalletConnect Pay enables payment companies to build crypto payment products that work with the way payments already operate:
One integration, broad support
WalletConnect Pay allows PSPs to accept:
- Payments from any wallet
- Payments in any supported asset
- With a single, familiar integration
This eliminates the complexity of building wallet-specific or chain-specific solutions.
Fits into existing stacks
WalletConnect Pay behaves like an Alternative Payment Method (APM):
- No new routing engines
- No bespoke settlement
- Reconciliation that matches existing practices
WalletConnect Pay becomes just another payment method, but one that opens new volume and new customers.
Reach and scale
Built on the WalletConnect Network, WalletConnect Pay benefits from:
- 700+ connected wallets
- Access to 500M+ global crypto users
- Hundreds of billions in transaction value flow through the network annually
In other words, the demand isn’t theoretical; it’s already happening onchain, and WalletConnect Pay makes it usable in payments flows.
Why now is the right time
Crypto payments are still early enough that payment companies can shape the landscape, but they are too big to ignore:
- Consumers are spending crypto in real retail and online environments
- Merchants see real revenue gains from acceptance
- Competing platforms like PayPal and Stripe are already launching crypto payment options
Payment companies that wait risk losing:
- Merchant relationships
- Incremental transaction volume
- Leadership in next-generation payments
Those who act now can:
- Offer crypto products that feel native, not bolt-on
- Open new revenue streams with minimal operational disruption
- Differentiate their product portfolios in a crowded PSP market
The shift is clear
Crypto is no longer a fringe payment method. Consumers want to spend their assets. Merchants want to accept them.
Platforms that deliver usable, compliant products win.
WalletConnect Pay enables payment companies to meet this demand today.