Payments terminal provider Ingenico has partnered with WalletConnect Pay to enable in-store stablecoin payments across its point-of-sale systems.
The integration signals a renewed push to test whether stablecoins can operate as a real alternative to traditional card networks in everyday retail.
Ingenico said the feature allows customers to pay directly from WalletConnect-compatible mobile wallets at physical checkout terminals.
Supported stablecoins at launch include USDC, EURC and USDT, allowing users to transact without relying on card rails.
The company confirmed that wallets such as MetaMask and Trust Wallet are supported under the new setup.
Transactions are initiated at the terminal and settled through WalletConnect Pay’s infrastructure rather than Visa or Mastercard networks.
Ingenico said this structure enables native stablecoin payments rather than crypto-linked card transactions.
Payments are sent directly from a user’s wallet, with settlement flowing to the merchant’s payment provider.
The model positions stablecoins as an alternative settlement rail rather than a card-based add-on.
Ingenico said its terminals are deployed in more than 120 countries worldwide.
The company estimates that up to 40 million Ingenico terminals are technically capable of supporting stablecoin payments.
Ingenico said the integration works within existing merchant payment systems without requiring new hardware.
The company did not disclose how many merchants will activate stablecoin payments at launch.
Ingenico said adoption will depend on decisions made by individual merchants and their payment service providers.
Essentially any Ingenico merchant who wants to accept crypto can.
An Ingenico spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that merchants can choose whether to receive settlement in stablecoins or convert funds to fiat.
Ingenico said refunds will be handled through standard merchant workflows already used for card payments.
Merchants will have the ability to process refunds with a simple button click in the dashboard or via automated process.
The spokesperson said.
WalletConnect Pay said the system is designed to minimise network errors and ensure payments are routed correctly.
WalletConnect CEO Jess Houlgrave said the in-store integration offers lower fees than traditional card payments.
Compared to traditional card rails, fees are much lower across the board.
Houlgrave said.
She added that fees vary depending on whether merchants off-ramp stablecoins into fiat.
Houlgrave said pricing is agreed collaboratively between WalletConnect Pay, Ingenico and payment service providers.
She said faster settlement could reduce working capital needs for merchants.
At launch, WalletConnect Pay supports Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) mainnet, Base, Arbitrum and Polygon.
Support for Optimism and Solana is expected to follow.
Houlgrave said demand is already emerging for non-stablecoin crypto payments.
Stablecoins are the starting point for everyday payments, but adding assets like Bitcoin or ETH is on our roadmap.
She said.
Ingenico CEO Floris de Kort said the company has seen rising interest in stablecoin payments from merchants.
Our partnership with WalletConnect Pay addresses this by giving our customers a way to accept digital currencies as easily as traditional cards.
De Kort said.
Dragonfly managing partner Haseeb Qureshi said stablecoin payments will be “one of the big themes of 2026.”
Qureshi added that crypto is expected to become more deeply integrated into payment systems this year.
The announcement follows renewed investor interest in stablecoin-linked payment platforms.
Visa-linked stablecoin firm Rain recently raised $250 million after strong card growth in 2025.
The funding round valued Rain at nearly $2 billion, highlighting growing momentum in the stablecoin payments sector.
At the time of reporting, Ethereum price was $3,144.79.