Coinbase Launches Coinbase Payments for USDC Checkout Integration

Coinbase has officially launched Coinbase Payments, a three-layer platform designed to enable commerce providers to integrate USDC checkout without the need to manage their own blockchain infrastructure. The platform is composed of three main layers: Stablecoin Checkout, an E-commerce Engine, and the Commerce Payments Protocol.

The first layer, Stablecoin Checkout, is a wallet-native interface that supports hundreds of wallets, facilitates gas-free transactions, and records payments in USDC. This layer is designed to handle consumer interactions seamlessly. The second layer, the E-commerce Engine, exposes application programming interfaces (APIs) for various functions such as authorization, capture, refunds, ledgering, and subscriptions. This allows payment service providers to integrate stablecoin flows into existing merchant dashboards. The base layer, the Commerce Payments Protocol, executes smart contract escrow and settlement on Base, Coinbase’s layer-2 network, ensuring sub-second block times.

Coinbase emphasizes that the modular design of the platform eliminates the need for "crypto-native teams" and can settle global transactions at a lower cost than traditional card networks. The company has already seen early production use at Shopify, where the stack was activated last week for an early-access cohort of merchants. This marks one of the first retail deployments of USDC at scale. Buyers on Shopify can pay in USDC, with merchants receiving fiat payouts unless they opt to retain the stablecoin. Stripe has helped abstract the crypto logic from sellers’ workflows, and Shopify plans to add 1% USDC cashback incentives for consumers.

Coinbase stated that Stablecoin Checkout handles consumer interaction, the E-commerce Engine manages merchant controls through APIs, and the protocol layer facilitates smart-contract escrow and settlement behind the scenes. The company aims to position USDC as a default internet payment method by making stablecoin rails accessible through a single integration. Additionally, platforms that onboard can add off-ramps to local currencies, audit trails via open-source contracts, and programmable reward systems in a forthcoming update.

Coinbase has invited payment processors, marketplaces, and e-commerce software vendors to integrate immediately, noting that the same stack powering Shopify’s rollout is now available through the company’s developer portal. The company believes that more than half of Fortune 500 firms are experimenting with on-chain tools while roughly one-third of small businesses already accept some form of crypto. By providing a seamless integration process, Coinbase hopes to accelerate the adoption of stablecoins in the commerce sector.