Retail’s Next Revolution: Amazon and Walmart Plan to Mint Their Own Dollars

What Happened

Two of the biggest retail giants on the planet, Amazon and Walmart, are reportedly considering launching their own crypto stablecoins. 

These would be digital currencies tied to the U.S. dollar, allowing consumers to pay for goods and services without involving traditional financial intermediaries like banks or credit card networks.

According to recent reports, both companies are exploring two main strategies: issuing their own proprietary tokens or joining forces with other retailers in a consortium using shared, regulated stablecoins.

This news comes as Congress weighs the Genius Act, a proposed law that would give private companies a clearer regulatory path to issue stablecoins, provided they meet reserve and transparency standards. The timing is no coincidence either, as retailers are beginning to see the potential to slash billions in transaction fees by sidestepping networks like Visa and Mastercard, which currently charge them exorbitant processing costs.

In the wake of the reports, stocks for both Visa and Mastercard dropped sharply, by 4% and 6% respectively, showing just how seriously the market is taking the idea.

Why It Matters

Stablecoins, once considered a fringe part of the digital asset market, are becoming increasingly more mainstream.  Should Amazon and Walmart pull this off, it would mark one of the most radical shifts in consumer payments since the rise of debit cards.

Stablecoins offer faster, cheaper transactions as well as more control over financial flows. For retail titans like Amazon and Walmart, cutting out card networks would mean reclaiming huge amounts in fees, boosting margins, and possibly reshaping loyalty programs around their own payment systems.

What makes this moment different from past flirtations with the crypto industry is the regulatory climate. Lawmakers are finally close to passing a law that legitimizes stablecoin issuance under clear rules, and companies like Amazon and Walmart are ready to capitalize.

Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, which can fluctuate wildly in value, these stablecoins would be pegged to the dollar, effectively making them much more practical for everyday use while still reaping the benefits of blockchain tech.

It also shows that the traditional finance world is no longer safe from big disruptions. If massive retailers start minting their own money, banks, credit card firms, and even fintech companies will face enormous pressure to adapt or risk irrelevance.

How It Affects Readers

For everyday consumers, a change such as this could heavily alter how you shop, save, and spend. If Amazon or Walmart offer attractive incentives in the form of discounts, cash-back, or faster shipping for using their stablecoins, adoption would likely surge quickly.

Consumers could bypass using their credit cards altogether, instead opting to check out with a digital token that gives you better rewards and no hidden fees.

But there are trade-offs. Widespread use of retailer-issued currency raises questions about data privacy, competition, and the concentration of financial power in corporate hands.

These tokens could end up roping users even more tightly into closed ecosystems, where switching becomes harder and transparency less certain.

Security and regulation are also a factor, as consumers would need to trust that these coins are backed by real reserves and that their funds are safe in a crisis. The Genius Act aims to provide that trust by requiring stablecoin issuers to hold assets in federally insured accounts, but the details are still being fleshed out.

Ultimately, if Amazon and Walmart decide to move forward with this, they won’t just be places you shop, they’ll be part of the infrastructure you use to manage money itself. That would be a massive change with implications that will ripple through tech, finance, and everyday life.