JD.com Aims to Slash Cross-Border Payment Times by 90% with Stablecoins

JD.com, a leading technology-driven e-commerce company, has unveiled an ambitious plan to transform cross-border payments through the use of stablecoins. During a corporate sharing session on June 17, Chairman Liu Qiangdong announced that the company is pursuing stablecoin licenses across major economies. The objective is to utilize blockchain-based stablecoins to drastically reduce international transaction times from days to just seconds, while also slashing costs by 90%.

Liu Qiangdong pointed out the current inefficiencies in cross-border payments, noting that it typically takes 2 to 4 days to transfer money between companies, with high associated costs. He envisions a future where JD.com's stablecoin can be used for global payments, making transactions seamless and cost-effective. This initiative aims to challenge the dominance of SWIFT, which has long been the standard for global corporate transactions.

JD.com's stablecoin ambitions are not new. Through its subsidiary, Jingdong Technology, the company has been operating within Hong Kong’s fintech sandbox since the first quarter of 2024. This pilot program has focused on using stablecoins for cross-border supplier payments. The core of this initiative is Zhizhen Chain, JD.com's proprietary blockchain platform, which already handles over $7 billion annually in supply chain finance transactions. This approach mirrors Ant Group's strategy of deploying blockchain technology internally before monetizing it.

JD.com is now part of a competitive race with other major players, including Chinese rival Ant Group, which is also pursuing a stablecoin license in Hong Kong. Western giants like Amazon and Walmart have shown interest in similar projects, with Amazon reportedly exploring a stablecoin for marketplace settlements and Walmart's blockchain patents suggesting similar plans. However, JD.com's advantage lies in its extensive ecosystem, which includes nearly 600 million active users and a logistics network spanning 20 countries. This captive ecosystem allows JD.com to potentially onboard merchants to its stablecoin by mandate, much like Alipay's dominance in Chinese payments.

The success of JD.com's stablecoin initiative could have far-reaching implications for the global payments landscape. By reducing transaction times and costs, JD.com aims to make cross-border payments more efficient and accessible, potentially disrupting the traditional banking system. This move underscores the growing importance of blockchain technology in the financial sector and highlights JD.com's commitment to innovation and technological advancement.