New York, Jan 13, 2026, 14:41 (EST)
- Ingenico announced plans to support stablecoin payments at physical checkout counters through WalletConnect Pay
- The rollout focuses on Ingenico’s Android-based point-of-sale terminals and wallets that support WalletConnect
- WalletConnect’s CEO claimed fees will likely stay under those charged by traditional card “rails”
Payments terminal provider Ingenico announced Tuesday a partnership with WalletConnect Pay, enabling shoppers to use stablecoins at checkout and bringing crypto-style payments to everyday retail.
Stablecoins are digital tokens meant to maintain a stable value, typically pegged to a currency like the U.S. dollar. Until now, they’ve mostly stayed within crypto markets. Still, payments companies are pushing them as tools to speed up transfers and reduce costs, particularly for cross-border payments.
The deal comes as payments and crypto players zero in on stablecoins as a payments “rail” — a back-end channel rather than just a trading asset. Polygon Labs, a blockchain company, revealed acquisitions Tuesday aimed at boosting stablecoin payments infrastructure. Visa and Mastercard have been ramping up efforts in this space too. Reuters
Ingenico announced its Digital Currency app will operate on millions of its Android terminals, enabling merchants to accept five stablecoins, such as USDC, EURC, and USDT. The company added that the feature supports over 700 compatible wallets linked via WalletConnect.
“Stablecoins have emerged as a key tool for transferring value swiftly,” WalletConnect CEO Jess Houlgrave said in a statement.
Ingenico CEO Floris de Kort said the partnership allows merchants to “accept digital currencies as easily as traditional cards,” highlighting the setup’s hardware-light design and compliance.
The companies are pitching the product as a fresh take on crypto-linked cards, which typically rely on card networks. In this setup, customers pay directly from their mobile wallets. The funds then head straight to the merchant’s payment provider, with merchants able to accept stablecoins or convert the payments into fiat currency.
Ingenico’s terminals are in use across 120 countries, with the company estimating that around 40 million of its devices could support the new feature. However, it didn’t specify how many merchants would activate it right away. “Essentially any Ingenico merchant who wants to accept crypto can,” an Ingenico spokesperson told Cointelegraph, noting that it depends on merchants and their payment providers to enable the option. tradingview.com
Houlgrave told Cointelegraph that “fees are much lower across the board” compared to traditional card payments, with costs varying depending on whether merchants convert to fiat. She added that WalletConnect Pay will enable stablecoin payments on Ethereum mainnet, Base, Arbitrum, and Polygon at launch, while Optimism and Solana are slated to come next. tradingview.com
Adoption remains the key risk. Stablecoins are built to be stable, but merchants need to enable the feature, payment platforms have to back settlement, and regulators haven’t ironed out all the consumer protection and compliance issues. Even the back-end stuff counts — refunds, chargebacks, and the routine details that keep retailers grounded.
Ingenico announced the integration will roll out to acquirers and payment service providers starting January, focusing on sectors like retail, hospitality, transport, and vending.
