In a transformative step for e-commerce, Shopify has rolled out a groundbreaking feature allowing merchants to accept and receive earnings in USDC, a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle.
Announced on June 12, 2025, at the Coinbase State of Crypto Summit, this integration—developed in partnership with Coinbase and Stripe—marks a significant milestone in blending traditional online retail with decentralized finance. The move is poised to redefine how millions of merchants conduct global transactions.
The feature, now in early access as of June 13, 2025, enables select merchants in the U.S. and Europe to accept USDC payments through Shopify Payments and Shop Pay on Coinbase’s Base network, an Ethereum layer-2 solution known for fast, low-cost, and secure transactions.
Merchants have the flexibility to receive payouts in their local currency by default or opt to hold USDC directly in their own digital wallets, with no foreign transaction or exchange fees applied. A full rollout to merchants across 34 countries is planned by the end of 2025, promising seamless access to borderless commerce .
Shopify’s CEO, Tobi Lütke, emphasized the natural alignment of stablecoins with internet-based transactions, noting that this integration opens doors to global markets by allowing merchants to “sell to a customer on the other side of the world as easily as their next-door neighbor.”
To encourage adoption, Shopify plans to offer incentives later this year, including up to 1% cashback for customers and 0.5% for merchants in select regions like the U.S. The company, alongside Coinbase, has also developed a Commerce Payments Protocol to handle retail intricacies such as refunds, chargebacks, and tax calculations, ensuring a smooth experience within existing order fulfillment systems .
This strategic partnership leverages Base’s infrastructure, which handles 6% of USDC’s $61 billion total supply, positioning Shopify to tap into a network processing over a trillion dollars in monthly stablecoin volume. With Stripe facilitating integration and conversion, the feature requires no additional setup for merchants unless they choose USDC payouts, lowering technical barriers to crypto adoption .
As stablecoins gain traction among tech giants, Shopify’s embrace of USDC signals a pivotal moment for mainstream crypto integration in e-commerce. This development not only enhances transaction efficiency but also positions Shopify as a leader in the future of digital payments, potentially attracting a broader, crypto-savvy customer base.
