Payments

USDT0 is an omnichain form of Tether’s USDT that locks USDT on Ethereum and mints an equal amount of USDT0 on supported destination chains via LayerZero’s Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) standard, so transfers stay 1:1 without per-route bridge liquidity pools.

Stronghold (SHx) is a blockchain infrastructure project focused on digital payments and merchant finance. Built on Stellar and expanded to Ethereum, Solana, and the XRP Ledger, it integrates payment, financing, governance, multichain functionality, and tokenomics. This article provides an in-depth analysis of these components.

Stronghold is payment infrastructure that connects traditional payments, blockchain, and merchant financial services. StrongholdNET supports real-time settlement, Virtual Payment Networks, SHx rewards, and merchant financing.

Cashtag is a feature on X that allows users to tag stocks, cryptocurrencies, and various financial assets. Discover how Cashtag operates, its background, and how it links social conversations, real-time market data, and trading gateways.

Gate Card is a crypto payment card introduced by Gate, designed to function as a crypto credit card that allows users to spend digital assets in real-world scenarios. When a user makes a payment, the system automatically converts crypto assets in the account into fiat currency, enabling transactions through the Visa network across global merchants and ATMs. The core function of Gate Card lies in bridging digital assets and traditional payment systems. Instead of manually converting crypto into fiat before spending, users can directly use their crypto balances for everyday payments, cross-border transactions, and cash withdrawals. This integration reduces friction between Web3 assets and real-world financial infrastructure, making crypto more accessible for daily use.

Gate Card and Gate Pay both connect crypto with real-world payments, but they solve different problems for different users. If you want to make international purchases yourself, Gate Card lets eligible users spend supported crypto or stablecoins at merchants through the Visa or Mastercard network, with conversion handled under the applicable card rules when the transaction is processed.

Stablecoins were once tools for trading within the crypto market, but banks are now redefining them as infrastructure for payments, settlement, and cross-border fund transfers. As major banking alliances plan to launch dollar-backed stablecoins, the competition is no longer just about who issues more tokens—it is about who can control compliance, liquidity, payment networks, and access to enterprise customers. The next phase of the crypto industry may not be about expanding the range of assets, but about bringing traditional finance’s dollars, deposits, and payment processes onto the blockchain.

Crypto payments and bank transfers can both move value quickly, but this comparison focuses more on the nuances than “crypto is fast and banks are slow.” Domestic bank infrastructure has improved substantially, while cross-border banking still faces FX, correspondent-bank, compliance, and last-mile friction. At the same time, stablecoins can move internationally in seconds or minutes, but businesses still need to account for on-ramp, off-ramp, custody, compliance, and conversion costs.

Gate Pay gives merchants a way to accept, manage, convert, refund, and distribute crypto payments without building separate blockchain payment infrastructure from scratch. Instead of integrating individual wallets, networks, currencies, payout systems, and reconciliation tools, businesses can connect to Gate Pay through a merchant account, hosted checkout, QR-code payments, address payments, or APIs.

An eligible Gate Card can be added to Apple Pay or Google Wallet so you can make contactless purchases with your phone or smartwatch instead of carrying the physical card. Once the card is added and verified, you can use it at supported contactless terminals, in participating apps, and at online checkouts that accept Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Crypto payments are becoming easier to use in everyday life, but adoption is still uneven. The strongest use cases are no longer limited to buying speculative assets or transferring funds between exchanges. Stablecoins, crypto cards, payment gateways, Layer 2 networks, and merchant checkout integrations now make it possible to use digital assets for online shopping, cross-border payments, subscriptions, peer-to-peer transfers, creator support, and selected recurring expenses.

Gate Card and Gate Pay both make digital assets more usable, but they solve different payment problems. In a direct Gate Card vs Gate Pay comparison, Gate Card is for individuals who want to spend supported crypto through traditional card networks, while Gate Pay is a broader crypto-payment platform for consumers, merchants, businesses, and institutions that need to send, receive, accept, or manage digital-asset payments.

For Gate’s current Classic and Platinum Cards, the main costs are a 0.9% crypto-to-fiat conversion fee on transactions of at least $2, a 0.4% foreign-exchange fee on non-USD transactions, a 2% ATM withdrawal fee, a $25 replacement-card fee, and a $30 chargeback fee, while virtual and physical issuance, monthly fees, and inactivity fees are currently free. Do note that, Gate Card fees vary by program and region.

Crypto payment cards are designed to connect digital assets with everyday spending. Instead of withdrawing crypto to a bank account before making a purchase, eligible users can pay online, shop at physical stores, subscribe to digital services, or withdraw cash from supported ATMs through a virtual or physical card.

How to pay with Bitcoin means settling goods, services, or peer transfers with Bitcoin (BTC): either by sending an on-chain transfer to a public address, or by completing scan/checkout flows inside a crypto payment tool. A complete payment usually includes preparing a wallet or account, verifying recipient details, sending BTC, and waiting for block confirmations. If the address or network is wrong, funds are often unrecoverable.