Many companies exploring how to use stablecoins are finding that they solve everyday problems. Stablecoins create faster cross-border payments, easier global payouts, and a more predictable way to hold value when local currencies are unstable.

Below, we explain how to use stablecoins: how to send and receive them, store them securely, and manage the related risks as usage scales.

What’s in this article?

• How are stablecoins used?
  
• How do stablecoin transfers work?
  
• How do businesses store stablecoins securely?
  
• What risks affect stablecoin usage?
  
• How can organizations incorporate stablecoins into workflows?
  
• How Stripe Payments can help
  

How are stablecoins used?

Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency built to hold a steady price, have moved from a niche crypto tool to a practical way for businesses to move value. Many types of stablecoins (though not all) that businesses use are pegged to a real-world fiat currency, such as the US dollar. Their real strength shows up when speed, predictability, and reach matter.

Here are some of the best ways to use stablecoins in place of traditional money:

• Fast cross-border payments and remittances: Stablecoins settle in minutes, not days, without banking-hour cutoffs or multiple intermediaries. This can significantly lower costs—using stablecoins for a transaction instead of a traditional wire transfer can often reduce fees by 80%-90%.

• Supplier, partner, and worker payments: Businesses with distributed teams or international supply chains use stablecoins to send payments with predictable value without wire fees or long delays. Contractors in markets with limited banking access can instantly receive digital dollars and hold or convert them on their own terms.

• Global customer payments: Businesses can accept stablecoins from customers who have crypto wallets but limited access to cards or local payment methods. Through providers such as Stripe, these payments can settle into the business’s preferred currency without reworking pricing, invoicing, or billing systems.

• Steady value in unstable economies: In high-inflation markets, businesses can use US dollar-pegged stablecoins to protect margins and stabilize cash flow. Holding value in a digital dollar can help sidestep local currency swings that would otherwise erode profitability.

• Instant settlement and supply-chain efficiency: Stablecoins enable real-time settlement that compresses cash cycles and reduces reliance on slow payment routes. Some companies automate delivery-based payments with smart contracts, which means they can release funds the moment goods arrive or work is verified.

How do stablecoin transfers work?

Stablecoins move at the pace of the internet and can clear without intermediaries. The mechanics are easy to grasp once you understand the basics of wallets, addresses, and blockchain settlement.

Here’s how the underlying technology works:

• Digital wallet setup: In many ways, a wallet functions like a crypto-enabled bank account. It generates a public address for receiving funds. Wallets also have private keys that authorize outgoing transfers.

• Transfer initiation: To send a stablecoin, you enter a recipient’s address, choose the amount, and select the right network. Accuracy matters—blockchain transactions can’t be reversed.

• Blockchain confirmation: Once sent, the transaction is broadcast to the network, validated by nodes, and included in a block.

• Settlement and finality: After confirmation, the stablecoins appear in the recipient’s wallet and are immediately spendable or convertible. The blockchain acts as the shared ledger that both sides can verify instantly.

How do businesses store stablecoins securely?

Storing stablecoins requires both financial controls and good cybersecurity. The goal is to protect access, reduce single points of failure, and make sure the stablecoin you’re holding is actually backed by something solid.

Businesses should consider the following aspects when choosing their security setup:

• Custodial vs. self-custodial storage: Businesses choose between holding stablecoins themselves or using a trusted custodian. Custodial platforms handle much of the security and logistics work, while self-custody gives full control but requires disciplined key management and internal safeguards.

• Cold storage for larger balances: Companies often keep day-to-day funds in an online “hot” wallet and move larger reserves to offline (“cold”) hardware wallets. Keeping high-value holdings offline sharply reduces the risk of remote attacks or account compromise.

• Access controls and multisignature approvals: Tools such as multisignature (multisig) wallets, role-based permissions, and strict multifactor authentication (MFA) requirements create layered protection so no single person can move funds unilaterally.

• Stablecoins and counterparties: Reputable fiat-backed stablecoins publish regular reserve attestation. Well-run custodians segregate client assets and maintain transparent security and solvency practices.

• Ongoing monitoring and incident readiness: Teams track peg stability, reserve updates, software patches, and regulatory news to catch issues early. Strong contingency plans, such as switching stablecoins or freezing transfers, help businesses respond quickly if something goes wrong.

What risks affect stablecoin usage?

Businesses have to understand stablecoin’s technical, financial, and regulatory weak points.

Here’s what to be mindful of:

• Peg stability and depegging: Stablecoins try to hold a fixed value, but stress events can break that peg, even temporarily. USDC’s dip from $1 to about 87¢ during the 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Tether’s (USDT) brief slips during times of market volatility show that even major issuers can wobble under pressure.

• Issuer and reserve exposure: Fiat-backed stablecoins depend on the issuer’s ability to safeguard reserves. Businesses need to evaluate the quality of those reserves—cash and short-term treasuries are materially safer than opaque assets—and review attestation reports to confirm the stablecoin is genuinely backed.

• Custodian and counterparty risk: Holding stablecoins on an exchange or third-party platform introduces solvency risk and security risk. If that platform goes down or is compromised, your funds might be entangled in bankruptcy proceedings or lost, since stablecoin balances typically aren’t government-insured.

• Regulatory uncertainty across markets: Stablecoins sit in a shifting regulatory landscape that varies by region. New rules in the US and Europe strengthen oversight, but many countries have unclear guidance or outright restrictions.

• Security threats and errors: Wallet breaches, phishing, missent transactions, and network congestion can all cause loss or delay. Because blockchain transfers are final, an incorrect address or compromised key can’t be fixed or recovered.

• Accounting and treasury implications: Stablecoins don’t always qualify as cash equivalents on the balance sheet and can introduce reconciliation and valuation complexity. Holding too much stablecoin can also create opportunity cost if those funds would have earned yield or supported credit lines in a traditional account.

How can organizations incorporate stablecoins into workflows?

Bringing stablecoins into a business is a coordinated change across finance, compliance, and logistics.

Here are some steps businesses should take when starting with stablecoins:

• Educate and coordinate teams: Finance, compliance, engineering, and operations teams all need a shared understanding of what stablecoins are and how they fit into existing processes.

• Clarify regulatory and tax obligations: Each region treats stablecoin transactions differently. Legal and compliance teams need to outline what’s allowed, what must be reported, and where controls need to be added.

• Choose stablecoins intentionally: Businesses should evaluate issuer transparency, reserve quality, regulatory posture, liquidity, and supported blockchains before committing. Many start with one well-audited, widely used US dollar-pegged stablecoin and keep a backup option to reduce dependency risk.

• Decide on custody and integrate systems: Teams choose between self-custody or using a trusted platform, then connect wallets or custodial accounts to payment flows, accounting systems, and internal approval processes. This often includes role-based access, multisig controls, whitelisted addresses, and testing automated reconciliation.

• Pilot before scaling: A limited trial, such as paying a single vendor or receiving one customer payment, lets teams validate workflows end to end. Once stablecoins work, businesses can extend them to new use cases such as global payouts, supplier settlements, or treasury transfers.

• Monitor and adjust: Businesses must assign employees to oversee peg monitoring, reserve reviews, network fee tracking, and regulatory updates to catch issues early. Good contingency plans show how to pause transactions, switch stablecoins, or revert to fiat if conditions change.

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