Walmart and Amazon are reportedly considering issuing their own US dollar-pegged stablecoins, an indication of wider institutional stablecoin adoption amid shifting regulatory winds in the United States.
Walmart, Amazon Turn To Stablecoins To Speed Up Settlements
According to a Friday report from the Wall Street Journal, citing sources with knowledge of the effort, Amazon and Walmart are looking into the development of brand-specific stablecoins.
While neither of the tech giants has officially confirmed the stablecoin plans, a token pegged to the U.S. dollar or other government-backed currencies could significantly reduce merchant fees.
Merchants currently pay 1–3% for each credit card transaction to networks like Visa and Mastercard. For big companies processing billions of transactions, these fees add up to massive annual costs.
The potential launch of stablecoins could help financial technology firms and payment gateways save billions of dollars in fees linked to card payments, including interchange fees — subsequently disrupting the dominance of traditional financial institutions.
Another key benefit is that the stablecoin transactions can speed up payment settlements. Traditional card payments typically take 1-3 business days, while stablecoin transactions can settle nearly instantly.
The report noted that both Walmart and Amazon are still in early stages, mulling private coins or third-party stablecoin partnerships.
Potential Launch To Depend On GENIUS ACT
Walmart and Amazon join an increasing number of big tech firms exploring stablecoin issuance in the U.S. Any launch will likely depend on the progress of an important legislation, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.
If signed into law by President Trump, the GENIUS Act would establish a regulatory framework for legally issuing stablecoins in the US, which may set the stage for big companies to adopt or roll out stablecoins as an alternative to current payment rails.
