Reference stack
Enable stablecoin payments
A user-facing stablecoin payment stack for merchant checkout, wallets, marketplaces, payroll or payouts, distinct from institutional treasury settlement.
Intended audience and markets
Audience
Markets
Infrastructure layers
Checkout or payment acceptance
RequiredAccept stablecoin payments and create payment intents or invoices.
Selection criteria
- Supported countries and assets
- Merchant settlement options
- Refund support
On/off-ramp and payout
RequiredConvert between fiat and stablecoins for payers or recipients.
Selection criteria
- Licensing and user eligibility
- Payout methods
- Fees and settlement timing
Wallet infrastructure
RequiredCreate or connect wallets and control signing.
Selection criteria
- Custodial versus embedded wallet model
- Recovery and key policy
- Network coverage
Stablecoins and networks
RequiredSelect stablecoin issuers and settlement networks.
Selection criteria
- Redemption and reserve model
- Network support
- Liquidity and user reach
Compliance and fraud
RequiredScreen participants and onchain transactions.
Selection criteria
- Wallet screening
- Sanctions controls
- Fraud and account abuse
Implementation sequence
- Checkout or payment acceptance
- On/off-ramp and payout
- Wallet infrastructure
- Stablecoins and networks
- Compliance and fraud
Regulatory considerations
- Consumer, merchant, money-transmission and crypto-asset obligations depend on custody, conversion and settlement roles.
- Do not represent stablecoins as deposits or risk-free cash equivalents without a valid legal basis.
Technical considerations
- Design refunds and reversals despite irreversible onchain settlement.
- Control address, chain and asset selection to prevent unrecoverable transfers.
Questions to ask providers
- Which legal entity contracts for each service and in which jurisdictions?
- Which responsibilities remain with the product operator rather than the provider?
- What are the implementation, approval, testing and migration timelines?
- How are incidents, exits, data portability and business continuity handled?
- Will the user pay in stablecoin, receive in stablecoin, or only use it as an internal settlement rail?
What this stack does not cover
- This stack is not an issuance architecture and does not cover reserve management.
Related stacks
Reviewed on 2026-07-07.
Provider options are examples of infrastructure roles, not endorsements or a guarantee of suitability, availability or regulatory compliance. Confirm requirements for your product with each provider and qualified advisers.