Stablecoins are making major strides in mainstream adoption.

The blockbuster IPO of USDC issuer Circle and the GENIUS Act stablecoin bill becoming law in the U.S. in July boosted excitement for cryptocurrencies that are pegged to the price of the U.S. dollar.

Now, small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. are exploring how the technology could cut down on one their biggest expenses: payment processing fees.

Merchant processing fees totaled a record $187.2 billion in 2024, according to a study from Nilson Report. Those fees are collected from credit card swipes and mobile phone payments.

“If credit card transaction fees were an employee in my business, they would be by far the highest-paid employee,” said Wade Preston, co-founder of Prevail Coffee Roasters.

Prevail has four locations between Alabama and Georgia, and it’s testing a new payment app that allows customers to pay with stablecoins at the register.

The goal is to cut down on merchant processing fees and provide near-instantaneous receipt of payment.

“There’s tremendous potential in stablecoins. It should disrupt, to some extent, the traditional payment space we have today with credit and debit cards,” said Doug Kantor, general counsel for the National Association of Convenience Stores. “It has the promise of faster, cheaper, more efficient and frankly, more convenient transactions for consumers and businesses.”

Watch the video above to learn how stablecoins could reshape how customers shop at their favorite U.S. businesses.