For generations, credit cards have set the speed limit for digital payments made by consumers and businesses around the world. From metal “charge plates” used to run up a tab at a department store; to the Diner’s Club card, which created a groundbreaking, cross-business credit network for everyday purchases; to the rise of digital payments connecting all corners of the world… nothing has felt more frictionless than paying with credit.
Until now. Because stablecoins (cryptocurrencies that are pegged to a fiat currency) are making digital payments faster and cheaper than they’ve ever been. And they’re changing what’s possible at every scale of our payments ecosystem — from an international corporation making B2B payments, to a small business selling artisanal tree pots, to a parent sending remittances to family members across borders.
We’ll learn how the rise of the credit card changed consumer expectations of what it means to pay for goods and services. Then we’ll dive into the concrete uses of stablecoins that could signal a new revolution in the speed and ease of payments and open up new tools for growth and stability across the world.
