Payments

Web3 and Web4 are both widely used to describe blueprints for the next stage of the internet, and they are therefore often compared side by side. While the two share surface level similarities in reshaping digital relationships, enhancing user sovereignty, and improving interaction experiences, they differ significantly in their underlying drivers, data processing logic, and risk structures.

Ripple is a global fintech company focused on building the “Internet of Value,” with a core mission to modernize cross border payments through blockchain technology. XRP is the native asset of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a key component of the Ripple ecosystem.

Ripple is a global fintech company focused on building the “Internet of Value,” with a core mission of transforming cross border payments through blockchain technology. XRP is the native asset of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a key component of the Ripple ecosystem.

Ripple and SWIFT are the two core systems in the global cross-border payments space. They are often viewed as a competition between decentralized settlement infrastructure and traditional financial messaging networks. While both enable the movement of value across borders at a surface level, they differ fundamentally in underlying architecture, settlement speed, cost structure, and compliance design.

This model involves the management of a multi-asset stablecoin by an independent, third-party cooperative. Banks and protocols can acquire stakes to share in transaction fee revenues. Governance operates on an 80% voting mechanism, decoupling brand competition, while exclusive clauses enforce network effects—transforming fragmentation into a fully integrated ecosystem benefit cycle.

This report highlights that x402 is redefining internet semantics by shifting from the traditional “Request → Response” model to a new financial primitive of “Request → On-chain Atomic Settlement → Revenue Distribution.” This transformation enables native payment settlement and automated revenue splitting, positioning x402 as the execution layer for PayFi and machine-to-machine (M2M) payments. Over the past month, x402 processed more than 47 million transactions with an average value of under one dollar, signaling rapid demand growth yet still far from penetrating high-value commercial use cases. The ecosystem shows strong early concentration: Base chain consistently captures over 60% of market share, while major players such as Coinbase, Cloudflare, and Gate are accelerating infrastructure-level adoption. Short-term value continues to be driven by leading facilitators, whereas long-term potential hinges on whether x402 can establish a cross-chain revenue settlement network capable of powering per-use payment

This report highlights that as of August 2025, the global stablecoin market capitalization has reached $280 billion, with annual on-chain settlement volumes surpassing $30 trillion. Stablecoins are evolving from mere crypto trading instruments into global financial infrastructure. This explosive growth is driven by regulatory implementation and the entry of major enterprises. The enactment of the GENIUS Act, the Stablecoin Bill, and the MiCA Regulation mark the beginning of a “compliance grand era” for stablecoins. Their model has advanced into a “Peg + Yield + Application” triad, expanding across payments, yield generation, and real-world applications. At the same time, competition has shifted from “token battles” to “infrastructure battles,” with players such as Tether, Circle, Stripe, and Alchemy Pay building proprietary blockchains to capture dominance in payments and settlements.

This report highlights that PayFi, leveraging stablecoins as its underlying medium, integrates accounts, clearing and settlement, yield management, and compliance into a unified framework—enabling a paradigm shift from “payments” to “finance.” Its innovative BNPN model allows payment flows to automatically generate yield, breaking the long-standing issue of “idle capital.” The report estimates that PayFi’s serviceable market could reach $25–30 trillion, with its obtainable market projected to achieve hundreds of billions in transaction volume and generate billions in revenue within the next 3–5 years. Powered by four core engines—low-fee high-frequency transactions, yield generation from settlement funds, institutional-grade financial services, and modular PaaS offerings—PayFi is poised to become the next-generation payment infrastructure bridging Web2 and Web3, ushering in a yield-driven era of crypto payments.

This article offers a thorough examination of the workings and inefficiency issues of current payment systems, and discusses how stablecoins can utilize blockchain technology to resolve these challenges and advance payment system innovation.

The article not only elaborates on the core features of the Yeti Card, such as global acceptance, compatibility with mobile payments, and multi-scenario design, but also delves into the technical architecture and revenue generation mechanisms of Yala, including DeFi yield strategies, RWA investment products, and AI yield agents.

The article analyzes stablecoin bridges and multi-token networks, highlights their active transformation into Web3 infrastructure, and explores their profound impact on the future of payment ecosystems and business models. The article analyzes stablecoin bridges and multi-token networks, highlights their active transformation into Web3 infrastructure, and explores their profound impact on the future of payment ecosystems and business models.

The article analyzes the technical details of this collaboration, including Swapper Finance as the user front-end entry, Shift4 Payments providing card payment processing, ZeroHash responsible for the conversion between fiat currency and encryption, and Chainlink's decentralized oracle network ensuring the security of transactions and the reliability of data.

The article analyzes how stablecoins gradually erode the profit margins of the traditional payment industry through low fees and high efficiency on-chain settlements, using detailed data and cases.

The article provides an in-depth analysis of the business model, compliance costs, operational challenges, and the complex reasons behind the shutdown of the Infini card.

The Gate Card turns your digital assets into a swipe-and-go payment solution backed by Visa and real-time crypto-to-fiat conversion. With plans to expand globally, introduce a USD card, and integrate with Apple Pay, Gate Card is helping pave the way for fast and hassle-free crypto spending across the globe.