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- Stripe & Shopify Go Crypto | Paynt Eyes North America
Stripe & Shopify Go Crypto | Paynt Eyes North America
Shopify merchants can now accept stablecoin payments, thanks to Stripe. Meanwhile, Lithuanian fintech Paynt makes a major Canadian acquisition to accelerate its North American push.
Stripe has expanded its partnership with Shopify, enabling millions of merchants to accept payments in the stablecoin USDC (USD Coin). This marks a significant leap in making crypto-native transactions accessible to everyday businesses.
The feature will roll out in the coming weeks to merchants across 34 countries, starting with support on Base, Coinbase’s Layer-2 blockchain. Customers can pay using their preferred crypto wallet, while Stripe handles the complexity in the background.
“Stripe has long handled the hard parts of payments so our merchants don’t have to,” said Kaz Nejatian, COO & VP of Product at Shopify.
“Now they’re doing the same for stablecoins—helping us meet booming global demand without wrestling with crypto infrastructure.”
Merchants can choose to:
Auto-convert USDC into local currency, which Stripe deposits directly to their bank account, or
Receive USDC directly in an external wallet.
The move comes amid a surge in stablecoin usage. According to Stripe:
Over $94 billion in stablecoin payments were settled in the last two years.
Monthly volumes have tripled, from under $2 billion to over $6.3 billion.
“We’re excited to work with Shopify to bring stablecoin benefits to a massive number of businesses at once,” added Neetika Bansal, Head of Money Movement and Crypto at Stripe.
“Lower costs, broader reach—without disrupting operations.”
Stripe's Connect platform, used by companies like DoorDash, Instacart, and Salesforce, will also integrate this feature. Initially, US-based platforms can offer this to their users, with broader international support likely to follow.
🧠 Why it matters: This isn't just crypto hype—it's real infrastructure change. By hiding the complexity behind APIs and existing dashboards, Stripe is making stablecoins "just another payment method" for merchants.
🌎 Paynt Buys E-xact Transactions, Pushes into Canada
While Stripe focuses on the digital frontier, Lithuanian fintech Paynt is scaling globally with a major acquisition in Canada.
Paynt has acquired E-xact Transactions, a Vancouver-based payment processing firm handling CAD 3.5 billion+ annually across 50 million transactions. The deal provides Paynt with a physical foothold in North America and further deepens its reach in omnichannel commerce.
“With a new established presence in Connecticut and Vancouver, we are entering a new chapter,” said Sam Kohli, Founder and Group CEO of Paynt.
“This reinforces our global leadership in payment solutions.”
📍 Strategic Gains:
A new operational hub in Vancouver.
An experienced executive, JohnPaul Golino, joins Paynt’s board to lead North American integration and go-to-market execution.
Access to E-xact’s 25-year legacy in rapid, secure processing—under 1 second per transaction.
E-xact also brings integration with top e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce—aligning well with Paynt’s existing merchant base and partner strategy.
Founded in the Baltic States, Paynt already has a strong presence across the European Economic Area, with regional offices in Ireland, the UK, and the US. This acquisition further accelerates its transatlantic ambitions.
📅 What’s next? Paynt is eyeing further acquisitions in the US, aiming to close at least one more deal by the end of 2025.
🧠 Why it matters: As payments become a battleground for global scale and speed, fintechs like Paynt are expanding beyond borders—choosing acquisitions over waiting for organic growth.
🔍 The Bigger Picture: Stablecoins & Scale
Both Stripe and Paynt show a clear trend: payments are becoming both more global and more programmable.
For Stripe, it's about bringing programmable money into real-world commerce without the usual friction.
For Paynt, it's about creating a global processing engine that combines regional expertise with enterprise-grade tech.
Expect more crypto-to-fiat bridges in traditional commerce and more cross-border M&A as fintechs look to future-proof their platforms.
📣 What to Watch:
Will Shopify merchants actually adopt USDC payments at scale?
How will regulators respond to increasing stablecoin use in commerce?
What’s Paynt’s next move in the U.S. M&A landscape?
💡 TL;DR
Stripe + Shopify: Stablecoin payments via USDC coming soon to 34 countries.
Paynt acquires E-xact: CAD 3.5B+ in processing power now under Paynt's belt.
The race to global, borderless payments is heating up—and traditional processors are adapting fast.
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🧾 See you in the next issue!
— Team Fintech Forward