Stablecoins are making major strides in mainstream adoption.

The blockbuster IPO of USDC issuer Circle and the GENIUS Act stablecoin bill becoming law in the U.S. in July boosted excitement for cryptocurrencies that are pegged to the price of the U.S. dollar.

Now, small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. are exploring how the technology could cut down on one their biggest expenses: payment processing fees.

Merchant processing fees totaled a record $187.2 billion in 2024, according to a study from Nilson Report. Those fees are collected from credit card swipes and mobile phone payments.

"If credit card transaction fees were an employee in my business, they would be by far the highest-paid employee," said Wade Preston, co-founder of Prevail Coffee Roasters.

Prevail has four loc

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