Cryptocurrency acceptance is increasing quickly. Crypto is becoming a functional payment method across industries, taking forms such as stablecoin ecommerce checkouts that settle in seconds and cross-border invoice payments that bypass intermediary banks. Crypto is reshaping how businesses think about transaction speed, cost, and reach as well as customers’ payment expectations.

Below, we’ll explain what this shift means, who’s accepting crypto, and how your business can start accepting it.

What’s in this article?

• What does cryptocurrency acceptance mean today?
  
• Which industries accept cryptocurrency?
  
• Why are businesses embracing crypto payments?
  
• How can businesses start accepting cryptocurrency?
  
• What are the challenges of accepting crypto payments?
  
• How Stripe Payments can help
  

What does cryptocurrency acceptance mean today?

Early crypto acceptance meant pasting a digital wallet address on a checkout page. Transactions were clunky, and volatility was a constant risk. Today, technological advancements such as stablecoins, faster networks, and integrated payment tools make crypto more practical in everyday commerce. About 18,000 businesses worldwide accepted Bitcoin as of September 2025, and stablecoin circulation more than doubled over an 18-month period beginning in 2024.

Here’s a look at two key developments:

• Stablecoins: Stablecoins (e.g., USDC, USDT) are pegged to real-world assets such as fiat currencies and backed by reserves. They remove the volatility that kept many businesses away from crypto. Payments can settle at low cost across borders without intermediaries and maintain a predictable value. Airlines, hotels, luxury brands, online marketplaces, and nonprofits have stablecoin options, which are often enabled through third-party processors.

• Integrated payment tools: Payment processors have reentered the space with better tools that support payments on blockchain platforms such as Solana, Ethereum, and Polygon. These platforms can process transactions in seconds and instantly convert them to fiat for businesses. Businesses can accept crypto without touching digital wallets or blockchain code and without experiencing price swings.

Crypto acceptance might look like:

• A retail checkout that shows “Pay in USDC” alongside credit cards

• A global marketplace that settles with overseas sellers in stablecoins

• A QR code at a physical point of sale (POS) that causes a transfer from the customer’s digital wallet

Which industries accept cryptocurrency?

Nonprofits and businesses across retail, travel, and sports are adopting crypto, though how they implement it varies by sector.

Here’s how different industries are handling the shift:

• Retailers and ecommerce platforms: Retailers typically don’t manage crypto directly: they use a processor that takes the token, converts it to the local currency, and deposits it like any other sale. For example, businesses such as Home Depot and Whole Foods have enabled in-store Bitcoin payments through digital wallets. Businesses that use Shopify can add stablecoin payments to their checkouts and receive local currency by default.

• Luxury brands: Luxury brands such as Gucci, luxury department stores such as Printemps, and luxury auto brands such as Ferrari accept crypto payments to reach customers who hold crypto portfolios. They often run transactions through dedicated crypto payment partners to handle security and instant conversion.

• Travel, hospitality, and ticketing: Airlines such as airBaltic and travel agencies such as CheapAir allow flight bookings in crypto. Hotels and booking platforms such as Travala accept stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies to cater to global travelers who want to skip currency exchange. Crypto prepaid cards and QR code check-ins also make in-person payment viable in certain regions.

• Sports and entertainment: Some sports teams accept crypto payments. For example, the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks take Dogecoin and Bitcoin for tickets and merchandise. AMC Theatres accepts crypto for tickets and concessions. These moves usually serve as brand statements that signal improvement to their audiences.

• Nonprofits and charities: Organizations such as the American Red Cross and American Cancer Society accept multiple types of crypto donations. This enables fast, low-fee global transfers and demonstrates transparency.

Across sectors, crypto appears as another payment method: sometimes for everyday purchases and often for high-value or cross-border transactions that emphasize its advantages.

Why are businesses embracing crypto payments?

Crypto is a payment method that can help businesses lower costs, reach new customers, and speed up cash flow. Here are the benefits businesses can see from working with crypto:

• Access to new markets and customers: Crypto acceptance can attract a demographic that prefers to pay from digital asset holdings—customers who are often younger, globally distributed, and tech forward. Because crypto payments don’t require a bank account or credit card (only a phone and an internet connection), they can reach new users previously excluded by traditional methods. In countries with unstable currencies or restrictive banking, stablecoins provide a reliable way to engage in global commerce.

• Lower costs, especially across borders: Stablecoin transaction fees are typically lower than card processing fees, particularly for cross-border transactions. That can increase profit for sellers that process many small payments or operate on thin margins.

• Transaction speed: Though card or wire transfer payouts can take days, crypto payments on modern networks settle within seconds. That’s true even for cross-border payments or those that occur on weekends or holidays. Faster settlement improves working capital cycles and can reduce the need for credit to cover operating expenses.

• Fraud and chargeback protection: Once payments are confirmed on the blockchain, the sender can’t reverse them. This eliminates chargeback fraud. Businesses can still issue refunds, but they can do so on their terms.

How can businesses start accepting cryptocurrency?

To add crypto payments to your stack, you need to decide how you want to integrate them, which coins you’ll accept, and how much of the process you’ll manage and how much you’ll outsource to a provider.

Here’s what you need to do:

Gauge customer demand and fit

First, identify whether your target customers want to pay in crypto. Crypto tends to be most relevant for businesses with global customers, tech-forward audiences, or operations in markets where banking access is limited. Even if demand is modest now, some businesses test crypto payments to stay ahead of adoption trends.

Decide which cryptocurrencies to accept

Many businesses start with one or two high-liquidity coins, then expand if there’s enough demand. Bitcoin and Ethereum are widely recognized but volatile, while fiat-backed stablecoins such as USDC and USDT make pricing and settlement more predictable.

Choose your acceptance model

Here are some ways to accept crypto:

• Use a payments platform: Some payment providers are expanding into crypto and can handle the blockchain side, convert funds to fiat in real time, and deposit them into your account.

• Use a crypto payment gateway: Gateways built specifically for crypto often offer QR codes or POS integrations. This can automate conversion or keep funds in crypto.

• Accept crypto payments directly: You can set up your own crypto wallet (custodial or self-custody) and share a wallet address or QR code for payments.

Working with a third party eliminates the need to manage a wallet and limits your compliance responsibilities, but it comes with transaction and conversion fees and makes you dependent on a provider. Accepting crypto payments directly removes intermediary fees and gives you full control of funds, but it requires in-house security, blockchain knowledge, and manual conversion (if needed).

Integrate into sales channels

• For online sales: Add a crypto payment option at checkout using application programming interface (API) integrations or platform plug-ins.

• For in-store sales: Use POS systems or QR codes that generate the correct payment amount in the chosen coin.

For both sales types, lock exchange rates for a short window (e.g., 10–15 minutes) to avoid midtransaction volatility.

Plan for conversion

Many businesses automatically convert to fiat to avoid price swings. Some keep a portion of crypto revenue as an investment or to pay suppliers in crypto. Either way, you’ll need to track fiat value at the time of each transaction for compliance and tax purposes.

Address security and compliance

Enable multifactor authentication for all accounts tied to crypto acceptance. If you’re managing crypto yourself, store large balances in cold wallets that keep your private keys offline and back up keys securely. If you’re accepting crypto payments yourself, you’ll need to follow Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules for your jurisdiction. If you’re working with a payment processor, it will typically account for these concerns.

Communicate and promote

Show that you accept crypto at checkout, on your site, and in marketing. Specify which coins and networks you accept to avoid confusion. In markets that have just begun adopting crypto, a short “how to pay” guide can help customers complete transactions more easily.

Many businesses partner with processors for easier integration and explore direct acceptance if they want more control or have crypto expertise. Consider your administrative capacity, customer demand, and risk tolerance as you look at your options.

What are the challenges of accepting crypto payments?

Crypto adoption comes with operating, regulatory, and market risks. Businesses should account for each of them before rollout. Here’s what to expect:

• Volatility and peg stability: Cryptocurrencies can lose or gain substantial value between checkout and settlement. Many businesses automatically and instantly convert to fiat or stick to the most liquid, transparent stablecoins to mitigate this risk. But the peg can temporarily slip for even fiat-backed stablecoins if confidence in reserves falls. That can affect revenue if conversion happens during a dip.

• Regulatory uncertainty: Laws vary. Some countries classify stablecoins as e-money, others classify them as commodities or securities, and many have no clear framework yet. Because regulators are drafting stablecoin-specific policies in many countries, compliance requirements can change quickly. Businesses might need to adapt AML or KYC procedures or licensing as regulations develop.

• Tax and accounting obligations: Each transaction must be recorded with its fiat value at the time of payment. In many countries, exchanging crypto for fiat qualifies as disposal of an asset, which creates a taxable event. Many businesses use payment providers or accounting tools that automate conversion and reporting.

• Security and custody: Holding private keys comes with the risk of theft or loss. There’s usually no recourse if funds are compromised. Using a processor means sharing security responsibilities with the provider, which introduces its own trust and counterparty risks.

• Customer adoption and education: Not all customers hold or want to spend crypto. Uptake can be low without a clear use case, and new users might need guidance to complete a transaction. Offer crypto alongside existing payment options, monitor demand, and scale acceptance only if usage grows.

• Operational disruptions: Returning funds in crypto can be complicated if values shift between purchase and refund, and delays in transaction confirmations can disrupt checkout flows. Teams need to understand the mechanics, troubleshooting, and policies regarding crypto acceptance.

Sustainable crypto adoption depends on active management of volatility, compliance, security, and customer readiness. The businesses that succeed with crypto today tend to conduct small pilots, plan for edge cases, and work with providers that can help with infrastructure and compliance.

How Stripe Payments can help

Stripe Payments provides a unified, global payment solution that helps any business—from scaling startups to global enterprises—accept payments online, in person, and around the world. Businesses can accept stablecoin payments globally that settle as fiat in their Stripe balances.

Stripe Payments can help you:

• Optimize your checkout experience: Create a frictionless customer experience and save thousands of engineering hours with prebuilt payment user interfaces (UIs) and access to 125+ payment methods, including stablecoins and crypto.

• Expand to new markets faster: Reach customers worldwide and reduce the complexity and cost of multicurrency management with cross-border payment options, available in 195 countries across 135+ currencies.

• Unify payments in person and online: Build a unified commerce experience across online and in-person channels to personalize interactions, reward loyalty, and grow revenue.

• Improve payment performance: Increase revenue with a range of customizable, easy-to-configure payment tools, including no-code fraud protection and advanced capabilities to improve authorization rates.

• Move faster with a flexible, reliable platform for growth: Build on a platform designed to scale with you, with 99.999% uptime and industry-leading reliability.

Learn more about how Stripe Payments can power your online and in-person payments, or get started today.