Crypto Payments Are Scaling Globally — Here’s What You Missed This Week
While everyone talks about the next bull run, something more important is happening: crypto is being used.
From remittances in Morocco to checkout in Japan, crypto finally works where it matters. Across continents, payments went live, regulated, and ready for scale.
In this week’s CoiniGo Weekly Newsletter, we break down what changed and how these shifts are reshaping global payments for brokers, builders, and platforms.
Asia — Merchants, Wallets, and Stablecoins Align
① PayPay + Binance Japan moves from talk to traction.
SoftBank’s PayPay took a 40% stake in Binance Japan to fuse its 60–70M-user wallet with crypto access and future retail spend, per the official announcement and follow-ups. (Link)
② Japan’s incoming PM keeps a pro-innovation tilt.
Sanae Takaichi is on track for the premiership; coalition math is messy, but her ascent signals a friendlier policy climate for digital assets than the status quo. (Link)
③ Hong Kong: merchant stablecoin rails get an upgrade.
Payment Asia rolled out a system update aligned with the city’s new stablecoin framework to make accepting stablecoins simpler for merchants. (Link)
Why it matters: Super-app distribution and clear rules turn stablecoins into default checkout rails, providing faster and cheaper settlement for merchants, as well as tap-to-pay UX for users.
MENA — Public Rails & Remittances Go Live
① Dubai pilots crypto→AED settlement for government fees.
Department of Finance completed trial conversions to AED/AED-stablecoin for service payments. (Link)
② UAE signs on to the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF).
Formal accession kicks off the move to cross-border crypto tax data sharing and standardized reporting. (Link)
Why it matters: Government pilots + CARF make crypto part of the infrastructure, public fees settle in fiat over crypto rails, and standardized reporting lowers risk to unlock scaled remittances and fee collection.
LATAM — Stablecoins Are Beating Inflation, One QR at a Time
① El Salvador’s Bitcoin “Volcano Bonds” priced and 3× oversubscribed.
The sovereign BTC-backed issue moved from idea to funding, with demand topping supply and proceeds earmarked for infrastructure and debt. (Link)
② Brazil: Real-pegged, bond-backed stablecoin gets funded.
São Paulo fintech Crown raised $8.1M to launch BRLV, a BRL stablecoin fully backed by government bonds, aimed at compliant on-chain settlements and yield distribution. (Link)
③ Colombia switches on Bre-B, a 24/7 instant-payments rail.
The new, central-bank–backed system enables instant QR/alias transfers and sets up clean fiat endpoints that crypto fintechs can plug into for peso conversions. (Link) (Link)
④ Mexico corridor gets crypto→MXN instant payout option.
A stablecoin-to-peso payout feature has been launched to speed up remittances into Mexico, offering near-instant settlement and simpler FX. (Link)
Why it matters: El Salvador, Brazil, and Colombia turn cross-border flows into instant, low-fee local settlements with fiat finality.
Rest of World — Rails, Rules & Checkouts
North America
① Stripe turns on USDC subscriptions (private preview; Base & Polygon) (Link).
② Square processes its first BTC Lightning sale at a U.S. coffee chain (zero fees promo) (Link)
Europe
③ EU says MiCA already addresses stablecoin risks (no extra measures for now) (Link).
④ UK lifts retail ban on crypto ETNs; BoE keeps planned stablecoin holding caps (framework due next year) (Link)
Africa
⑤ Kenya passes (and advances) a VASP law, licensing exchanges & stablecoins; awaiting/under presidential sign-off and implementation(Link)
⑥ Nigeria chosen as regional hub by a major exchange operator; license filing underway (payments/remittances focus) (Link)
Oceania
⑦ Australia moves to clamp down on high-risk crypto ATMs (expanded AUSTRAC powers) (Link).
⑧ Draft payments law widens licensing to wallets & stablecoins (payments modernization) (Link).
Why it matters: Checkout adoption (Stripe, Square) + clear rulebooks (EU MiCA, UK caps, Kenya VASP, AU reforms) are pushing crypto from “pilot” to payment plumbing—stablecoin/BTC spend becomes easier at POS while regulated rails de-risk scale for banks, PSPs, and platforms
Why This Matters for Builders, Brokers & Platforms
✅ Pain points solved: Delays, fees, and trust issues are getting crushed by stablecoins, regulated rails, and new onramps.
✅ User-first wins: You don’t need to “teach” crypto anymore. Just make it invisible, fast, and safe. The demand’s already there.
CoiniGo — Go live where adoption is real.
MENA fee pilots, LATAM stablecoins, and Asia tap-to-pay are already live, and we’re built for exactly that. With one simple integration, $0 onboarding, the lowest fees in the market, and near-instant settlement across APAC/MENA/LATAM, you launch fast and scale without friction.
Ready to plug into the rails that actually move payments? Let’s talk.