Samee Zafar (Director, London) recently spoke with Eric Barbier (CEO, Triple-A.io). During their conversation, Eric discussed the growing role of stablecoins in cross-border payments, especially in emerging markets where traditional infrastructure is weak.

Do you think stablecoins offer a viable alternative to existing mechanisms for business cross-border payments? For all corridors or just those where existing infrastructure is inadequate?

Stablecoins payments present an ideal alternative for cross-border payments, particularly when one leg of the transaction involves an emerging market. Depending on the corridor, they can offer lower costs, faster settlement, or both compared to traditional payment methods.

Other than cross-border payments for corporates, do you see other viable use cases for stablecoins?

Beyond corporate cross-border payments, we see strong and growing use cases for stablecoin payments in online commerce—particularly for businesses selling goods and services globally. We're already supporting companies like Farfetch (luxury marketplace), Alternative Airlines (OTA), and Razer (casual gaming) in reaching over 560 million crypto holders across 140+ countries, without requiring the merchants to hold or manage stablecoins themselves.

There are several reasons why these consumers prefer to pay in stablecoins:

- Payment rejection in emerging markets: Local cards issued in regions like Africa and Latin America are often declined for international online purchases due to high chargeback risk. For many customers, paying with stablecoins is the only viable option.

- Currency stability and control: Individuals in countries with capital controls or high inflation increasingly store their wealth in stablecoins like USDT or USDC, and prefer to use them for international purchases.

- Earnings in stablecoins: A growing number of professionals in emerging markets are being paid in stablecoins by global clients and employers—making stablecoins their default medium for online spending.

Tell us a little about Triple-a and what does it offer or what problems it aims to solve? (not a sales pitch but a very brief value prop please).

Triple-A is a licensed global stablecoin payment institution, regulated in the United States, Europe, and Singapore. It empowers businesses like Grab, Farfetch, and Razer to accept and make payments in stablecoins—without ever needing to touch, hold, or manage them.

Triple-A provides two core solutions:

A) Stablecoin Acceptance – A payment gateway for merchants (both C2B & B2B) to accept USDT, USDC, PYUSD (PayPal USD), BTC and ETH from over 560 million crypto holders worldwide. Merchants receive next-day bank settlements in USD, EUR, or 30+ local currencies.

With a single integration, businesses can accept payments from over 140 countries, unlock 5–15% additional revenue, increase average order value, and drive better repeat purchase rates.

B) Global Stablecoin Payouts – A cross-border payout solution that enables businesses to pay freelancers, suppliers, creators, employees, and marketplace sellers in stablecoins—without handling crypto directly. Businesses fund payouts in USD, EUR, or 30+ currencies and pay out in USDT, USDC, or PYUSD globally.

This solution is especially impactful in emerging markets, where it helps recipients overcome currency controls and gain access to USD-denominated payouts via USDT/USDC/PYUSD

What do you do in your spare time to relax, any hobbies / interests?

Gardening

A favourite book, one you would recommend – fiction or non-fiction.

Magellan by Stefan Zweig

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The content of this article does not reflect the official opinion of Edgar, Dunn & Company. The information and views expressed in this publication belong solely to the author(s).