Why ISOs and Agents Need to Pay Attention to Stablecoins

Blockchain and crypto may still feel complicated or distant to many merchant services professionals—but that could be changing quickly. In this episode, James Shepherd sits down with Eric Brown of BlockWyre to break down what ISOs, agents, processors, and acquirers need to understand about blockchain, Bitcoin, and the growing role of stablecoins in payments. The conversation goes beyond the hype to explore practical opportunities for the payments industry, including high-risk merchants, digital wallets, banking products, faster settlement, cross-border payments, and new ways for ISOs to generate revenue beyond traditional acquiring. Eric also shares why stablecoin education could become increasingly important over the next few years—and why agents and ISO owners may want to start paying attention now. Plus, in this week’s Today in Payments segment, James and Patti Murphy discuss consumer payment preferences, Walmart’s move to accept Apple Pay and other tap-to-pay options, e-commerce growth, a PayPal antitrust case, and a surprising security issue involving expired contactless cards.