In the previous post we reviewed the impact that digital currencies have and how they’re already changing how we move money globally by being a faster, cheaper and global compared to traditional payment infrastructure, and how we should be thinking about using blockchain payment rails in conjunction with existing rails to reduce cost and improve the end-user experience.

However, we’re only scratching the surface. The next major wave of adoption doesn’t start with end-users, but with Payment Service Providers (PSPs) and fintech operators. These entities are at the forefront and poised to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the new world of digital currencies. But it’s not easy for PSPs to leverage this today, as they need to overcome a wall of challenges to effectively do that:

Key challenges for PSPs:

Key challenges slowing down the adoption curve for PSPs:

1. Network Fragmentation: Stablecoins are spread across more than 10 major networks, creating a complex landscape for PSPs to navigate. This fragmentation challenges PSPs to maximize user reach while maintaining interoperability across both blockchain networks and with traditional payment networks.

2. Regulatory Uncertainty: The regulatory environment for digital currencies is still evolving, with different jurisdictions taking varied approaches. PSPs must navigate this uncertain landscape while ensuring compliance.

3. Technical Complexity: Blockchain technology requires specialized knowledge and infrastructure, presenting a steep learning curve for many PSPs. This complexity extends to security practices, smart contract development, and cross-chain interoperability.

4. Talent Scarcity: With only about 20,000 active blockchain developers worldwide, finding qualified talent for in-house development is a significant barrier.

5. Rapidly Evolving Infrastructure: The underlying blockchain stack and best practices are evolving quickly. PSPs need to stay competitive and current with these changes to maximize efficiency, user experience, and security.

6. Compliance Challenges: Integrating blockchain transactions into existing AML and fraud regulatory requirements presents unique challenges for PSPs, including complex financial reporting and audit trail management.

Many of these issues were actually the reason why Visa and MasterCard were born more than 50 years ago, and we find ourselves in a similar situation with an entirely new paradigm.

What options do PSPs have to integrate digital currencies today?

There are dozens of PSPs today offering digital currency solutions, their approach typically fall into these 3 buckets:

1. Centralized Exchange Partnerships:

Example: Binance Pay, Coinbase

• Pros: Easy integration, immediate access to liquidity

• Cons: Limited to specific user base, and limited in use-cases with potential for vendor lock-in, can be extremely expensive with the wrong partner. These vendors provide limited services like API access to crypto exchanges, which limits flexibility and increases reliance on third-party services. These services can face regulatory shutdowns or, worse, lead to the loss of funds.

Cautionary tale: Stripe’s initial partnership with FTX, which ended poorly after FTX’s collapse and they had to undo all their work.

2. Building In-house Solutions:

Example: Stripe’s revised approach post-FTX

• Pros: Full control, true Web3 integration

• Cons: Resource-intensive, requires specialized talent, depending on how sophisticated your product offerings are. Implementing these solutions demands substantial effort in developing, security auditing, deploying smart contracts, and establishing participant trust with the necessary security measures. Custom solutions are resource-intensive and expensive, especially when they need to support multiple blockchain networks.

For businesses aiming to operate across multiple blockchain networks, these challenges are intensified, as existing solutions frequently turn out to be either too narrow in scope or prohibitively expensive.

3. In-house + Core Infrastructure Partnerships:

An emerging option balancing self-custody with ease of implementation.

• Pros: Support multiple ecosystems and currencies with a single integration, flexible use-cases as you can build any payment product on top of it, while reducing the technical burden as you offload the core infrastructure to a partner who specializes in payment infrastructure.

• Cons: Careful partner selection is crucial, very few reliable partners in this space with the necessary technology to do this, that understand regulatory compliance and prioritize helping you achieve the best end-user experience.

Some of the partners in this space are: LightSpark for Bitcoin Lightning Network, and Paygrid for network-agnostic payments.

Opportunities for PSPs

1. Enhanced Global Reach: Stablecoins enable PSPs to offer truly global payment solutions, reaching previously underserved markets or improving corridors that are facing significant limitations in cost and speed.

2. Reduced Costs: By leveraging blockchain payment rails, PSPs can significantly reduce transaction costs, especially for cross-border payments.

3. Improved Speed: Stablecoin transactions can be settled nearly instantaneously, improving cash flow for businesses and satisfaction for end-users.

4. Building New Payment Experiences: Blockchain payment rails unlock new payment models like money streaming, dynamic subscription services with recurring payments, and real-time financial operations. Additionally, smart contracts can automate and secure complex payment agreements like DvP, offering seamless, programmable payments.

5. Competitive Advantage: PSPs that successfully integrate stablecoins can differentiate themselves in a crowded market, and further their mission of solving financial problems for their customers.

For PSPs to succeed, they should:

1. Offer seamless integration of stablecoin payments alongside traditional methods, potentially abstracting the underlying technology from end-users. Majority of merchants and users still look for fiat settlements and interoperability as a key factor.

2. Proactively navigate the regulatory landscape, incorporating AML and fraud prevention from day one.

3. Prioritize security and compliance in blockchain integrations, treating blockchain security as a distinct expertise.

4. Leverage core partnerships to accelerate time-to-market and reduce technical debt.

5. Invest in educating both their teams and customers about the benefits and use of stablecoins.

Future Outlook for digital currencies market

As the stablecoin and digital currency ecosystem matures, we can expect to see:

1. Increased regulatory clarity, potentially leading to wider adoption by traditional financial institutions, as we’ve recently seen in fintech companies such as Nubank and Stripe.

2. Improved interoperability solutions, both between different blockchain networks and with traditional financial systems.

3. Greater integration of stablecoins into everyday financial activities, from e-commerce to payroll.

4. Invisible user experience: Eventually to end-users, how their money moves will be just as invisible as it is today, whether it moves over traditional networks or blockchain rails. The most successful PSPs will internalize this notion, leverage the best solutions and bring this life.

Conclusion

The impact of stablecoins is not just about replacing traditional finance but upgrading it. PSPs that can effectively bridge these two worlds will be well-positioned to lead in the next phase of global payments. As the industry evolves, we can expect to see more innovative payment models emerge, potentially reshaping how we think about money movement on a global scale.

The challenge for PSPs is clear: adapt to this new paradigm or risk being left behind in an increasingly digital and borderless financial world. The question now is not if, but how quickly and effectively PSPs can integrate stablecoin solutions to unlock new possibilities for their users and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

What would a faster, cheaper, and global digital currency payment stack do for your business? What end-user experiences would you unlock with such capabilities? We’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

So whats the solution for PSPs to most of these problems? We’ll explore that in Part 3 of this series.