Bolt Introduces ‘Bolt Connect’ to Streamline Merchant Onboarding and Enable Stablecoin Payments

Bolt, the checkout and payments platform, launched Bolt Connect to revolutionize marketplace onboarding while simultaneously introducing stablecoin payment support.

The dual announcement put Bolt at the forefront of a massive industry transformation that has seen stablecoin market capitalization reach $228 billion.

This development follows Bolt’s strategic partnership with Palantir for AI-powered Checkout 2.0 and the launch of Bolt’s SuperApp crypto hub.

Bolt’s timing aligns perfectly with the explosive adoption of stablecoins across the payments industry.

The total stablecoin market grew $33 billion in 2025, driven by renewed trading activity and increased regulatory clarity under President Trump.

USDT maintains $155 billion market cap while USDC reached a record $61 billion, growing 39% since January.

The broader payments ecosystem is rapidly embracing stablecoin infrastructure. Major players, including Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, and Fiserv, have all launched stablecoin initiatives in recent months.

Traditional banks are following suit with JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo reportedly exploring joint stablecoin projects.

‘Bolt Connect’: Marketplace Revolution Through Infrastructure Simplification

Bolt Connect eliminates traditional barriers that force marketplace operators to choose between growth velocity and technical complexity, handling compliance, payouts, and backend infrastructure automatically.

The solution addresses critical pain points for marketplace operators who previously required significant development resources to onboard and support multiple sellers.

Stablecoin integration within Bolt Connect creates particular advantages for cross-border marketplace operations.

Traditional international payments often involve multiple intermediaries, currency conversion fees, and settlement delays extending several business days.

Stablecoins eliminate these friction points by enabling direct peer-to-peer transfers without the need for correspondent banking relationships.

For merchants operating globally, stablecoin payouts offer immediate access to funds, eliminating the risk of foreign exchange volatility.

The timing coincides with the dramatic growth of stablecoins across the payments sector.

Active stablecoin wallets increased 53% over the past year, reaching 30 million users by February 2025.

As it stands now, monthly stablecoin transfers now exceed $4.1 trillion. Business-to-business stablecoin payments reached $36 billion annual run rate, while card-linked stablecoin transactions crossed $13 billion.

These metrics indicate genuine utility that both retail and institutional investors are adopting.

Global Payment Giants Embrace Stablecoin Infrastructure

The stablecoin payment revolution extends far beyond Bolt’s innovation, with traditional financial giants rapidly implementing digital dollar infrastructure across their networks.

Stripe’s recent aggressive expansion includes Stablecoin Financial Accounts serving 101 countries, the acquisition of Privy wallet, and the integration of the Bridge platform. Stripe is creating a comprehensive crypto infrastructure solution.

Similarly, Visa’s recent partnership with Yellow Card enables stablecoin payments across 20 African countries, while its investment in BVNK validates the development of stablecoin infrastructure.

BVNK’s network processes $27 trillion annually in stablecoin volume across 1.25 billion transactions, demonstrating massive scale adoption.

Mastercard is not left behind. Its recent “360-degree” stablecoin approach enables 150 million merchants to accept digital dollar payments through partnerships with Circle and Paxos.

The company, in collaboration with OKX, also launched a Card and Multi-Token Network that provides comprehensive stablecoin settlement capabilities across traditional payment rails.

Fiserv’s FIUSD launch on the Solana blockchain targets its 10,000-strong financial institution network to use stablecoin, while partnerships with PayPal explore PYUSD integration for cross-border transfers.

The company’s 5% stock surge following the announcement reflects investor confidence in stablecoin revenue opportunities.

Traditional banks are mobilizing with JPMorgan, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America discussing joint stablecoin projects.

These discussions follow regulatory clarity from the GENIUS Act, which passed Senate cloture 68-30, establishing federal frameworks for dollar-backed stablecoins.

International expansion is also accelerating as Circle partners with Onafriq’s network, which spans 500 wallets and 200 million bank accounts across 40+ African countries.

This infrastructure addresses the $5 billion annual fees from routing 80% of intra-African transactions through overseas correspondent banks.

All of these development suggests that stablecoins are transitioning from a cryptocurrency novelty to an essential payment infrastructure.

In fact, Standard Chartered projects a 10-fold market growth of stablecoin to $2 trillion within three years, while Citigroup forecasts a potential $3.7 trillion under optimistic scenarios by 2030.

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