Payments giant Checkout.com dives into crypto as it starts accepting stablecoins

London-based Checkout.com said Tuesday that it will settle payments for its merchants 24/7 using stablecoins in a move that pushes the fintech startup into the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Checkout.com's stablecoin settlement solution, powered by Fireblocks' new crypto payment technology, enables businesses to accept and make payments in USD Coin (USDC-USD), the second largest stablecoin by market cap. The payments behemoth is planning to expand its stablecoin settlement to a wider range of assets over time, it said. Crypto exchange FTX was among the first to use Checkout.com's pilot project. The company said it has already facilitated settlement in a private beta program of more than $300M using USD Coin (USDC-USD), of which its value is pegged to the U.S. dollar. "We're investing heavily to ensure we can fulfil our mission to enable businesses and their communities to thrive in the digital economy - which we believe includes Web3 and as we