A bipartisan push on Capitol Hill is giving America’s biggest merchants a new reason to dabble in blockchain.
With the GENIUS Act gliding through a 68–30 Senate procedural vote, the road toward federally approved, dollar-backed stablecoins suddenly looks far less bumpy. Lobbyists say the bill’s focus on strict reserve audits and anti-money-laundering checks is exactly the legal scaffolding large corporations have been waiting for.
Behind the scenes, Amazon and Walmart are sketching out brand-specific tokens that could flow across their own checkouts in milliseconds, according to people briefed on the talks. The numbers explain the urgency: Amazon’s platform rang up roughly $447 billion in e-commerce sales last year, while Walmart’s online tills crossed the $100 billion mark. Even shaving a fraction off card-processing fees would unlock billions in annual savings—and give both firms tighter control over customer spending data.
Momentum isn’t limited to retail. Shopify has already committed to adding USDC payments before 2025 is out, and a banking consortium linked to JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo is discussing a joint token as well. Post-trade giant DTCC, meanwhile, dubbed stablecoins the “ideal instrument” for just-in-time collateral during a May pilot study.
None of these projects will launch until lawmakers finish haggling over the GENIUS Act’s final language and the House gives its blessing. But if the bill lands on the president’s desk, expect a stampede: big-box stores, banks, and fintechs alike appear ready to swap card rails for blockchains the moment Washington hands them a rulebook.
Goldman Sachs and BNY are set to unveil a groundbreaking blockchain initiative that will allow institutional investors to purchase tokenized shares of money market funds, according to CNBC.
Polymarket, the fast-growing crypto prediction market, is exploring the launch of its own stablecoin to capitalize on the yield generated from reserves backing USDC deposits.
PNC Financial Services Group has teamed up with Coinbase, enabling select customers to buy and sell cryptocurrencies directly from their PNC accounts.
Telegram has officially rolled out its TON Wallet to users in the United States, marking a major step forward in the integration of blockchain and messaging.