Stablecoins and A2A: Why the Smartest Startups Are Rethinking Their Payment Stack

Kian Jackson
Aug 9
4 min read

Updated: Aug 14

The Traditional Payment Stack Problem

Let’s face it: the way businesses pay and get paid is kind of stuck in the past. Traditional payment rails—think banks, card processors, and foreign exchange providers—bring a lot of friction for ambitious startups. Whether you’re trying to pay international contractors, supply digital products across borders, or just get your overseas invoice paid, the pain points are real:

Slow settlement: You’re waiting days (sometimes longer!) for payments to actually clear.
Stacked fees: Each intermediary takes their cut; by the end, a sizable chunk of your revenue disappears.
Opaque processes: Tracking what’s happening with your money often means endless emails and support tickets.
Limited flexibility: Old-school payment methods don’t play nice with automation, programmability, or fast-moving digital business models.

For startups running on tight margins, these issues aren’t just annoying—they can stifle growth and even threaten survival.

The Stablecoin Advantage for Modern Startups

Stablecoins—a type of cryptocurrency pegged to a fiat currency like the US dollar—bring a major upgrade to this picture. But why are smart startups moving to stablecoins?

Operational Efficiency & Lower Costs

Stablecoins cut out the middlemen. Instead of your money bouncing through networks of banks (all taking fees along the way), transactions happen directly on the blockchain. That means:

Lower transaction costs: Especially for cross-border or B2B payments, where fees have often been astronomical.
Market to market in one step: Convert traditional currency to stablecoin, send it over, then (if needed) swap back.
No mystery math: Blockchain means transaction fees are explicit and transparent.

Suddenly, it’s not just about saving a few bucks—it’s about rewriting your cost structure for better margins.

Speed and Always-On Payments

With stablecoins, waiting days for bank wires or cut-off times is a thing of the past.

Near-instant settlement: Most blockchains can clear transactions in minutes, not days.
24/7/365: No weekends, no holidays. Payments happen whenever you need them to.
Perfect for global business: Whether you’re collaborating with a developer in Kenya, a designer in Brazil, or a SaaS partner in Singapore, everyone gets paid fast.

Startups need to move at digital speed, and stablecoins are built for exactly that.

Transparency & Real-Time Financial Control

Every stablecoin transaction is recorded “on-chain”—that’s short for a public, immutable blockchain ledger. For startups, this means:

Live audit trails: No more frantic spreadsheeting at tax time. You can see every payment, to and from, at a glance.
Improved reporting: Real-time visibility over operations helps with forecasting, reconciliation, and compliance.
Reduced fraud risk: Transparency makes it much harder for bad actors to slip through unnoticed.

Better International Access

Stablecoins aren’t just a “cool crypto thing”—they’re helping level the global playing field. In emerging markets where banking services can be flaky, slow, or expensive, stablecoins give startups and their partners access to fast, stable, international money without the gatekeeping of traditional banks.

This opens up new hiring models, new customer bases, and higher inclusivity for gig workers and contractors worldwide.

The Next Big Leap: Agent-to-Agent (A2A) Payments

Let’s talk about the next horizon: A2A, or Agent-to-Agent payments.

“Agents” here can mean AI-powered bots, software services, or even smart contracts able to make their own payments and purchases. Yep—machines paying machines.

Why Are People Excited About A2A?

Startups are getting ready for an economy where autonomous agents (think AI assistants, supply chain software, or embedded bots) will handle transactions without human intervention. Here’s why it matters:

True automation: Imagine your AI inventory manager negotiating and paying for re-stock on its own, or a SaaS bot buying additional compute as it needs it.
Speed and efficiency: Payments and agreements between bots can happen at machine speed, cutting down admin time and removing human bottlenecks.
Programmable logic: Payments can be tied to smart contracts, so that, for example, milestones automatically release freelancer payments when AI systems verify task completion.

Big Names Are Jumping In

PayPal, for example, is working on a “Financial OS for Agents” using their stablecoin, PYUSD. This would let autonomous agents manage deals, pricing, and payments all on their own. Visa and Mastercard are exploring single-use cards for agent payments, while up-and-comers like Nevermined are building “PayPal for AI” systems on web3 infrastructure.

If you’re a startup, getting in early means you’re ahead when this agent-driven economy goes mainstream.

Who’s Building Today?

Some emerging platforms leading the charge:

Supertab: Enabling seamless direct agent payments and microtransactions.
Paid: Focusing on revenue-sharing models for services used by AIs.
Skyfire: Bringing programmatic payment rails to web3 services.

The takeaway: if you start building A2A capabilities now, your infrastructure won’t become obsolete as the machine-to-machine economy takes off.

Strategic Implementation: What Should Startups Consider?

Programmability and Automation

Payment tech is no longer just about moving money from A to B. With stablecoins and programmable payments, you can automate complex workflows:

Conditional transactions: Only pay when milestones are verified.
Recurring schedules: Handle subscriptions, payouts, royalty splits, etc., automatically.
Composable stacks: Easily integrate payments with other business systems—no more waiting on your bank’s API team.

Access and Inclusion

Stablecoins are a game-changer for startups expanding into new or underserved markets:

No bank account, no problem: All you need is a stablecoin wallet.
Empower gig workers and small businesses: Payments are instant, global, and cost almost nothing.
Level up your marketplaces: International sellers and buyers get paid quickly and fairly.

Regulatory Readiness

Stablecoin adoption is moving fast, and so is regulation. The good news: more regulated, transparent frameworks are emerging, which will make large-scale use much easier and safer over time. Early adopters who get compliance right now will set themselves up for smooth scaling later.

Future-Proofing Your Startup’s Payment Stack

The bottom line? Payments aren’t just a back-office headache anymore—they’re an area where you can create real competitive advantage. By leaning into stablecoins and preparing for the A2A, agent-driven economy, you’re not just solving old problems; you’re building a platform ready for what’s next.

Startups have the most flexibility to ditch outdated rails and leapfrog into the future while bigger players are still stuck in legacy systems. The companies defining the next decade of online business will be the ones who make bold calls early—and who implement cutting-edge, programmable, transparent payments that mesh seamlessly with digital-first business models.

If you’re ready to talk specifics or want a hand rethinking your own payment stack, check out the RivaTech Consulting team at rivatechconsulting.com or browse more insights on the blog.

Let’s build something future-ready—because in tech, the smartest move is to build where things are going, not just where they’ve been.