As crypto adoption expands into mainstream finance, two of America’s largest retailers—Amazon and Walmart—are now exploring the creation of their own dollar-backed digital currencies.

A new report from The Wall Street Journal reveals that both companies are in the early stages of evaluating whether to issue their own stablecoins—cryptocurrencies tied to the value of the U.S. dollar. While the plans remain preliminary, the move indicates that major corporations are beginning to see real utility in blockchain technology, especially for streamlining payments.

Corporate Giants Target Stablecoins to Reduce Fees

The idea behind issuing stablecoins is simple but transformative. Amazon and Walmart handle billions of dollars in payments each year. By using their own digital currencies instead of traditional payment rails like credit cards or banks, these firms could dramatically cut down on transaction fees and speed up settlement times.

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value by pegging them to traditional assets—typically fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar. In this case, Amazon and Walmart would be issuing tokens backed 1:1 by dollars, allowing them to be easily used in digital transactions without the volatility associated with Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Although the companies have not confirmed their exact strategies, insiders suggest the move is part of a broader push to modernize payment systems and improve financial efficiency. By creating in-house digital assets, both retail giants could also deepen customer loyalty through incentive programs or cashback systems tied to their own stablecoins.

Part of a Larger Trend in Corporate Crypto Adoption

The interest from Amazon and Walmart aligns with a growing trend of large corporations investigating the benefits of stablecoins. Companies like Apple, Airbnb, and Google have also shown interest in using blockchain technology for payments. Financial institutions including Bank of America and Fidelity are developing infrastructure to support stablecoin transactions.

This wave of institutional interest comes as the stablecoin sector matures and gains legitimacy through regulatory progress. Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate advanced the GENIUS Act, a bill designed to regulate stablecoin issuers and establish clear legal standards. A final vote is expected on June 17, and many believe it will accelerate corporate adoption once passed.

Stripe, Visa, PayPal, and JPMorgan are already building out stablecoin solutions, underscoring that this is not just a passing trend. Traditional finance is now embracing blockchain-based payment rails as a long-term strategic advantage.

Why Now? Faster Settlements and Borderless Payments

Stablecoins are increasingly seen as a way to bridge traditional finance and decentralized technology. They offer fast, secure, and low-cost cross-border payments—features that appeal to global retailers like Amazon and Walmart.

For example, a dollar-based stablecoin could allow Amazon to pay international vendors almost instantly instead of waiting days for traditional wire transfers to clear. It could also support real-time payroll in regions where banking infrastructure is limited. These efficiencies matter at scale and could generate billions in savings over time.

Amazon already has deep ties to the digital economy through its AWS cloud division, which provides infrastructure for numerous blockchain projects. Walmart, too, has experimented with blockchain in supply chain logistics and digital product tracking. Issuing stablecoins would be a natural extension of their existing strategies.

A Future $2 Trillion Market?

The potential scale of the stablecoin sector is massive. According to research from Standard Chartered, the market could grow to $2 trillion in just three years if current adoption trends continue.

This growth is driven by both consumer-facing applications and enterprise use cases. With digital wallets, blockchain rails, and regulated issuers now in place, stablecoins are becoming a core component of next-generation finance.

And with Shopify, PayPal, and Stripe already integrating USDC and other stablecoins into e-commerce platforms, the infrastructure is quickly falling into place.

What It Means for Crypto

The entrance of Amazon and Walmart into the stablecoin space would mark a major milestone in crypto’s evolution from a speculative asset class to a foundational element of the digital economy.

While still in the research phase, such a move could open the floodgates for other global companies to follow suit. Corporate stablecoins may soon become as common as branded credit cards or loyalty points—only faster, more secure, and fully programmable.

As regulatory clarity emerges and technical barriers drop, stablecoins are no longer a niche innovation. They’re becoming a bridge between traditional commerce and digital finance, with retail giants like Amazon and Walmart poised to lead the charge.