ROME, Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stablecoins continue to advance from a niche instrument to a core settlement layer. In the first seven months of 2025, stablecoin transaction volumes surpassed $4 trillion, up 83% year-on-year, and now sit alongside traditional networks in terms of scale. Regulators are moving in parallel: the SEC has opened the door to multiple spot Bitcoin ETFs, and major custodians such as BNY Mellon, State Street, and DBS are broadening their digital-asset operations. Continue Read ...

According to La Nación, Argentina’s state-owned energy giant YPF — the country’s largest oil company — is evaluating the option of enabling cryptocurrency payments for gasoline and diesel across its service stations. The plan is still under review with no launch date set. YPF noted that crypto payments would likely require an exchange intermediary due to pricing based on “crypto dollars” rather than the official rate, with Lemon, Ripio and Binance mentioned as potential partners. https://t.co/8mx6ygblEi ...

Emurgo, the commercial arm of the $21 billion Cardano blockchain, and digital payments platform Wirex have partnered to launch a physical Visa card that allows users to spend cryptocurrencies, according to an announcement on Monday. Dubbed Cardano Card, the crypto card was unveiled at the Cardano Summit 2025 in Berlin. The card will be natively integrated into Wirex’s platform, which services more than six million users worldwide, a move that could amplify Cardano’s real-world usage. The crypto card will ...

Core Insights - Payment processing companies Fiserv, Stripe, and Block are exploring cryptocurrencies to potentially reduce transaction costs and enhance payment options for merchants [1][2][3] Group 1: Company Initiatives - Block is focusing on enabling merchants to accept Bitcoin, while Fiserv and Stripe are targeting stablecoins, which are pegged to fiat currencies like the dollar [2] - Stripe recently announced a platform for customers to pay for subscriptions using stablecoins, indicating a shift towards digital asset integration [2] Group 2: Industry Context - The push for digital currency integration follows the signing of the Genius Act by President Donald Trump, which established a regulatory framework for stablecoins [3] - Accepting cryptocurrency payments could eliminate intermediaries like banks and credit card networks, allowing direct transactions between customers and merchants [3][4] Group 3: Cost Implications - The average credit card interchange fee is approximately 2.2%, and reducing the number of entities involved in transactions could lead to lower costs for merchants [4] - Fewer intermediaries would mean more revenue retained by payment processors and their merchant clients, presenting a potential low-cost routing option [5] Group 4: Adoption Challenges - Despite the potential benefits, the adoption of cryptocurrencies for payments faces challenges, as consumer demand is currently unclear [5][6] - There are concerns regarding the reliability of cryptocurrency transactions, including issues with reversibility and potential delays [6]