How Shopify brought stablecoin payments to checkout on Base
$42M+
Net settled payment volume across the Commerce Payments Protocol
Net settled payments shown on the SeaLaunch Commerce Payments Protocol dashboard (Dune), retrieved October 2, 2026, rounded down from $42,141,990. Describes protocol activity tracked by the dashboard, not sales from Shopify alone.448K+
Payments tracked across the protocol
Payments shown on the SeaLaunch Commerce Payments Protocol dashboard (Dune), retrieved October 2, 2026, rounded down from 448,331. Describes protocol activity tracked by the dashboard, not a count of settled Shopify orders.$0
Customer gas fees
Per the Shopify Help Center (USD Coin), checked October 2, 2026. Refers to customer gas fees, not merchant processing fees. Merchant eligibility and activation requirements apply; availability and terms may change.Shopify and Coinbase built the Commerce Payments Protocol on Base to make it simple for eligible merchants to accept USDC through Shopify Payments. It brings a new payment method into the order flows they already use.
Why Base
Base provides fast, affordable infrastructure for the protocol’s payment steps. Coinbase Payments handles transaction execution and sponsors gas. Buyers can pay with USDC without also holding ETH to cover network fees.
“Shopify worked side by side with Coinbase to build payment infrastructure that could bring stablecoins into everyday commerce. The Base team brought deep expertise so payments can operate at scale onchain, along with a collaborative drive to build something merchants can rely on.”
Nick Chen
Director of Product, Shopify
What this enables
A customer can pay from a supported crypto wallet while the merchant receives local currency on its usual payout schedule. For eligible businesses, that means serving stablecoin buyers without managing a crypto balance.
Under the hood: the Commerce Payments Protocol
Checkout isn’t the end of a purchase. Inventory can sell out, tax can change before settlement, and an order may be canceled or refunded. A simple transfer between wallets doesn’t manage that lifecycle.
The protocol’s smart contract holds a buyer’s authorized funds in escrow until the merchant captures payment. Think of it as setting money aside for an order rather than handing it over immediately. It supports cancellations before capture and refunds afterward.
Authorization sets the buyer’s funds aside in escrow. Capture releases them to the merchant. Source: Base Engineering.
Buyers approve the payment terms; an operator submits the transaction. The contract prevents the operator from changing those terms, and buyers can reclaim uncaptured funds if an authorization expires.
The protocol is open source, so other commerce platforms and payment providers can build on the same foundation.
Explore the engineering behind the protocol: Base Engineering · Shopify Engineering.
Bringing stablecoin payments to your business?
Talk to Base about the infrastructure and integrations that could support your launch.
Shopify is an independent third-party company. This page is informational and nothing here is an offer, a solicitation or investment advice. USDC checkout is offered by Shopify through Shopify Payments and is available only to eligible merchants in supported countries and regions. The Commerce Payments Protocol is an open-source protocol on Base. Figures are reported by Shopify and third-party dashboards as of October 2026 and may change.
Start building on Base.
Build on the open economy. Fast, liquid and always on.
Ready to get started?
Contact Us