The blockchain payment industry has experienced remarkable transformation throughout 2025 and into 2026, driven by regulatory clarity, institutional adoption, and the explosive growth of stablecoins. With stablecoin circulation surpassing $300 billion in 2025 and the passage of the GENIUS Act establishing the first federal regulatory framework, blockchain payment startups are no longer experimental ventures but essential infrastructure providers reshaping global finance.
As traditional payment giants like Visa and Mastercard integrate blockchain settlement systems, and major corporations from PayPal to Stripe launch their own stablecoin initiatives, the opportunity for innovative startups has never been greater. This article examines the top blockchain payment startups making waves in 2026, companies that are solving real-world problems through faster settlements, lower costs, and enhanced transparency.
1. Circle (USDC Issuer & Circle Payments Network)
Circle stands as one of the most influential players in the blockchain payment ecosystem. As the issuer of USDC, the second-largest stablecoin with over $146 billion in circulation, Circle has established itself as a critical infrastructure provider for the digital economy.
Key Developments in 2025-2026:
- Circle went public on the New York Stock Exchange in June 2025, marking a major milestone for the stablecoin industry
- Launched the Circle Payments Network, connecting financial institutions, digital banks, and payment companies for instant cross-border money movement
- Unveiled Arc, a new Layer-1 blockchain designed specifically for enterprise-grade stablecoin payments, foreign exchange, and capital markets transactions
- Received conditional approval for a national trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in December 2025, alongside other major players
Why Circle Matters: Circle processes over $146 billion in USDC circulation and provides the foundation for countless payment applications. The company offers monthly independent audits with full transparency of cash and Treasury holdings, making it the preferred choice for institutions requiring banking-grade safeguards. Circle’s technology runs on multiple blockchains including Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, and Solana, with APIs that enable enterprises to move funds between on-chain wallets and traditional bank accounts in minutes rather than days.
With over 100 financial institutions in the pipeline and products like Circle Gateway for cross-chain liquidity, Circle is positioned to capture significant market share in the institutional payment space throughout 2026.
2. Ripple (RLUSD Stablecoin & Cross-Border Payments)
Ripple has reinvented itself following the 2025 SEC settlement, transforming from a payments-focused company into a diversified institutional crypto-finance provider. The company has invested approximately $4 billion in acquisitions and partnerships to build comprehensive financial infrastructure.
Major Acquisitions and Initiatives:
- Acquired Hidden Road, a prime brokerage firm, for $1.25 billion to integrate RLUSD into institutional workflows
- Purchased stablecoin payments platform Rail for $200 million to expand RLUSD’s role in cross-border payments
- Acquired GTreasury for $1 billion, expanding into the corporate treasury market serving institutions like JPMorgan
- Launched Ripple USD (RLUSD), which surpassed $1 billion market cap within its first year
Game-Changing Partnerships: Since November 2025, Ripple and Mastercard have been running a live pilot that settles real credit card transactions on the XRP Ledger using RLUSD. This isn’t a consumer crypto product but a back-end test of blockchain settlement within existing card payment systems. If successful at scale, this could transform how the $20 trillion global credit card payment market operates.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse predicts the XRP blockchain will capture 14% of SWIFT’s payment volume within five years, equivalent to over $20 trillion in annual transactions. With conditional approval for a national trust bank charter and partnerships with over 300 banks and payment companies globally, Ripple is building the bridge between traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure.
3. Stripe (Bridge Acquisition & Tempo Blockchain)
Stripe, valued at $106 billion, made its boldest crypto move yet through strategic acquisitions and blockchain development in 2025. The company acquired Bridge, a stablecoin startup, for $1.1 billion in 2024, signaling serious commitment to blockchain payments.
2025-2026 Strategic Moves:
- Launched stablecoin subscription payments in October 2025, supporting USDC over Base and Polygon blockchains
- Acquired crypto wallet startup Valora in December 2025 to advance blockchain and stablecoin integration
- Unveiled Tempo, a Layer-1 blockchain developed with venture capital firm Paradigm, launched on public testnet in December 2025 with mainnet expected in 2026
- Announced partnership with Crypto.com in January 2026, allowing users to spend digital assets at merchants powered by Stripe
Why This Matters: Stripe’s Bridge subsidiary recently won a bidding battle to issue USDH, a stablecoin on Hyperliquid’s decentralized finance platform, beating out established players like Paxos. The company is rolling out merchant acceptance of stablecoins and has introduced Stablecoin Financial Accounts, allowing businesses in over 100 countries to store, send, and receive funds via stablecoins like USDC alongside traditional fiat rails.
Tempo represents a bold strategic bet, putting Stripe in direct competition with Layer-1 blockchains like Ethereum and Solana while maintaining complete control over its payment infrastructure.
4. MoonPay (Enterprise Stablecoin Infrastructure)
MoonPay has evolved from a simple crypto on-ramp into a full-stack payment infrastructure provider. With 30 million customers and licensing coverage in the US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia, MoonPay powers nearly 500 companies across the decentralized economy.
2025 Expansion Strategy:
- Launched enterprise stablecoin services in November 2025, integrating with M0 to enable fully reserved digital dollars across multiple blockchains
- Acquired Meso in September 2025 to build crypto’s largest global payments network
- Acquired Solana-powered payment processor Helio for $175 million in January 2025
- Hired Zach Kwartler, former Paxos executive who built white-label stablecoin products, to lead stablecoin initiative
- Appointed Derek Yu, former Paxos Treasurer, to oversee cash, liquidity, and stablecoin operations
Enterprise Focus: MoonPay’s enterprise stablecoin business targets partners in key markets including the United States, Asia, and Latin America. The integration with M0, an open infrastructure platform for application-specific stablecoins, enables MoonPay to issue and manage customized and interoperable stablecoins at scale. This positions MoonPay as a comprehensive provider spanning on/off ramps, payments, swaps, virtual accounts, and custom stablecoin issuance.
5. Peg (Y Combinator Backed)
Peg represents the new generation of blockchain payment startups focused on user experience. Backed by Y Combinator, Peg is building a global bank account replacement using stablecoins, making it possible to send money to any email or phone number worldwide in seconds.
Innovation in User Experience: According to Peg’s description, the company has “taken all the friction out of the current terrible UX with crypto p2p payments and made it better than regular consumer products like Venmo and Square Cash.” This focus on simplifying blockchain payments for everyday users addresses one of the industry’s biggest challenges: making crypto as easy to use as traditional payment apps.
Market Positioning: While many blockchain payment startups target enterprises and institutions, Peg focuses on consumer peer-to-peer payments, competing directly with established players like Venmo and Cash App. By abstracting away the complexity of blockchain technology, Peg enables users to benefit from the speed and low cost of stablecoin transactions without needing to understand the underlying technology.
6. Blaze (YC S24 – Cross-Border Payments)
Blaze is building the “global Venmo for cross-border payments,” a peer-to-peer payments app that uses USDC to make payments fast and cheap between any two people anywhere in the world. The founding team scaled their last startup to $1 million in annual recurring revenue and brings experience from Spotify, Artsy, and Bitpanda.
Product and Market: Currently live in the US and Mexico with iOS and Android apps, Blaze addresses a critical pain point in international money transfer. Traditional remittance services often charge 3-7% in fees and take days to settle. By leveraging USDC on blockchain networks, Blaze can settle transactions in seconds at a fraction of traditional costs.
Growth Trajectory: As a Y Combinator Summer 2024 graduate, Blaze benefits from world-class mentorship and a network of potential investors and partners. The startup’s focus on the remittance market is particularly strategic, as the global remittance market exceeds $600 billion annually, with significant opportunities in corridors like US-Mexico, US-India, and US-Philippines.
7. Charm (Email-Based Payments)
Charm is tackling one of the most persistent problems in digital payments: fragmentation. Most people juggle multiple payment apps with scattered balances across Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, and various bank accounts. Charm solves this by letting users pay anyone regardless of what app they use.
Key Features:
- Pay anyone across different payment platforms without needing to match apps
- Earn 5% interest on balances automatically
- Unified interface eliminating the need to check multiple apps for incoming payments
- Built on blockchain rails for faster, cheaper transactions
Competitive Advantage: While other blockchain payment startups compete with traditional apps, Charm integrates with them, providing interoperability that users desperately need. This approach positions Charm as complementary infrastructure rather than a direct competitor, potentially accelerating adoption.
8. BlindPay (Stablecoin API for Global Payments)
BlindPay provides a stablecoin API that enables companies to send and receive money worldwide using fiat money, stablecoins, and multiple blockchains. The company handles all complex compliance and regulatory requirements, allowing businesses to focus on core operations.
Value Proposition: For businesses looking to integrate blockchain payments without building in-house expertise, BlindPay offers a turnkey solution. The API approach means companies can add stablecoin payment capabilities with minimal development effort, accessing benefits like instant settlement, low fees, and 24/7 availability without managing the underlying blockchain infrastructure.
Regulatory Compliance: With the passage of the GENIUS Act in 2025 and increasing regulatory scrutiny of stablecoin operations, BlindPay’s focus on handling compliance and regulatory requirements is particularly valuable. Companies can leverage blockchain payment benefits while BlindPay manages KYC/AML processes, transaction monitoring, and regulatory reporting.
9. BitPay (Veteran Bitcoin Payment Processor)
Founded in 2011, BitPay is the most experienced company in Bitcoin payments and has successfully evolved to support broader blockchain payment use cases. The company has raised over $70 million from top investors including Index Ventures, Menlo Ventures, and Founders Fund.
Established Infrastructure: BitPay offers a comprehensive suite of tools for spending, accepting, and building with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The platform supports both consumer and merchant use cases, with offices in North America, Europe, and South America providing global coverage.
Enterprise Features: BitPay allows businesses to set transaction speeds (low, medium, high) to adjust security levels based on needs. The platform charges a 1% fee per transaction and offers direct bank deposits in 38 countries. While BitPay started with Bitcoin, the company now supports multiple cryptocurrencies and has adapted its infrastructure to accommodate stablecoin payments.
Why BitPay Remains Relevant: Despite being over a decade old, BitPay continues to innovate and maintain relevance by expanding beyond Bitcoin to support the broader crypto payment ecosystem. The company’s long track record provides credibility for risk-averse enterprises evaluating blockchain payment providers.
10. BVNK (Multi-Blockchain Payment Infrastructure)
BVNK represents the fourth category of blockchain payment infrastructure: multi-blockchain, multi-token providers that unify traditional bank and blockchain payment systems. This approach allows enterprises like Deel, Rapyd, and Worldpay to accelerate global money movement.
Comprehensive Platform: BVNK enables businesses to pay suppliers in stablecoins from fiat balances, accept stablecoins while auto-converting to USD/EUR/GBP, and use Layer-1 infrastructure to combine the best aspects of traditional and blockchain systems. This flexibility is crucial as businesses navigate the hybrid financial landscape of 2026.
Strategic Partnerships: In 2025, BVNK partnered with Visa to speed up cross-border payments using stablecoins. Global payment providers including Worldpay, Lian Lian Global, dLocal, Flywire, and Rapyd have all partnered with BVNK to enable stablecoin payments for their customers, demonstrating the platform’s enterprise credibility.
Use Case Focus: BVNK’s “stablecoin sandwich” approach—moving seamlessly between currencies using stablecoins as the bridge—is particularly effective for remittance companies, fintechs, PSPs, trading platforms, and gaming companies. The platform’s automatic conversion feature (auto-converting from stablecoins to preferred fiat currency) eliminates manual processing and multi-day delays.
The Broader Context: Why 2026 Is Critical
The blockchain payment industry stands at an inflection point in 2026. Several converging factors are accelerating mainstream adoption:
Regulatory Clarity: The GENIUS Act, passed in July 2025, established the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins. All payment stablecoin issuers must now obtain federal licensing, maintain 100% reserve backing in cash or Treasury securities, and provide monthly public attestations. This regulatory clarity has strengthened market confidence and provided legal certainty for institutional adoption.
Institutional Integration: Visa launched USDC settlement in the United States in December 2025, marking a major milestone. Initial banking participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain. Visa’s monthly stablecoin settlement volume passed a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of November 2025. Mastercard has similarly expanded stablecoin partnerships and settlement pilots.
Explosive Growth Metrics: Stablecoin supply topped $300 billion in 2025, with usage shifting from holding to spending. Cross-border payments and treasury operations are seeing measurable gains, with enterprises recognizing stablecoins as practical tools for reducing costs and accelerating settlement.
Banking Charter Approvals: In December 2025, the OCC granted conditional approval for five national trust bank charters tied to digital assets: BitGo, Circle, Fidelity Digital Assets, Paxos, and Ripple. This moves stablecoin and custody infrastructure inside the federal banking perimeter, legitimizing blockchain payment providers.
Key Trends Shaping 2026
Stablecoin-as-a-Service: A new category of infrastructure providers has emerged to help corporates launch and manage regulated tokens. VC investment in stablecoin-related companies exceeded $1.5 billion in 2025, up from less than $50 million in 2019.
Enterprise Adoption: JPMorgan extended JPM Coin functionality to public blockchains in November 2025. A consortium of US banks including PNC, Citi, and Wells Fargo is exploring a joint stablecoin initiative through Early Warning Services, the parent company of Zelle.
Vertical Integration: Major players are launching their own blockchains rather than relying on existing networks. Circle’s Arc and Stripe’s Tempo exemplify this trend, with companies seeking greater control over performance, compliance, and user experience.
Real-World Use Cases: Stablecoins are gaining traction beyond crypto trading. PayPal completed its first business transaction using PYUSD by paying an Ernst & Young invoice via blockchain-based transfer. Companies are using stablecoins for payroll, supplier payments, treasury management, and foreign exchange.
Challenges Remaining
Despite remarkable progress, blockchain payment startups face ongoing challenges:
KYC/AML Coverage: Stablecoins struggle with consistent Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering coverage across wallets and exchanges, essential for merchants and remittances. The “who is on the other side of this transfer?” problem remains table stakes for widespread adoption.
Consumer Adoption: While B2B and institutional use cases are accelerating, consumer-facing commerce has been slower to adopt blockchain payments. For domestic retail payments, stablecoins aren’t addressing an immediate need because efficient payment methods already exist.
Interoperability: Even as custom blockchains launch, they must connect to broader ecosystems. Arc is EVM-compatible, and Tempo likely will be too, but fragmentation across different chains and stablecoins creates friction.
Fraud Evolution: With faster settlement comes new forms of risk. Disputes occur earlier in the transaction lifecycle, and fraud is adapting to target wallet-level vulnerabilities rather than traditional card rails.
Investment and M&A Activity
The blockchain payment sector saw significant consolidation in 2025, with major players acquiring specialized capabilities:
- Ripple spent over $2.7 billion on acquisitions including Hidden Road, Rail, and GTreasury
- Stripe acquired Bridge for $1.1 billion and Valora for an undisclosed sum
- MoonPay acquired Meso and Helio for combined value exceeding $175 million
- Fireblocks expanded institutional offerings by acquiring Dynamic in October 2025
VC investment in US crypto companies rebounded sharply in 2025, with investors deploying $7.9 billion, up 44% from 2024. More capital concentrated in fewer companies, with the median check size climbing 1.5x to $5 million as investors prioritized higher-quality projects.
Looking Ahead
The blockchain payment startups highlighted in this article represent the cutting edge of financial innovation. They’re solving real problems—high remittance costs, slow cross-border settlement, expensive foreign exchange, and limited financial access—with technology that’s faster, cheaper, and more transparent than legacy systems.
As regulatory frameworks solidify, institutional adoption accelerates, and user experience improves, these startups are positioned to capture significant market share in the multi-trillion-dollar global payments industry. The companies that succeed will be those that balance innovation with compliance, offer superior user experience, and build the interoperable infrastructure necessary for mainstream adoption.
2026 represents the year blockchain payments move from experimental to essential. The startups listed here are not just building products—they’re constructing the financial infrastructure that will power the next generation of global commerce. For investors, enterprises, and consumers, understanding these players is crucial to navigating the rapidly evolving payments landscape.
