Accepting Stablecoins (USDT and USDC): A Merchant's Guide to Settlement

Accepting stablecoins means letting customers pay in dollar-pegged crypto like USDT or USDC, with each token designed to stay worth about one US dollar. For merchants this removes the volatility problem of crypto while keeping the speed and low cost. With a non-custodial gateway like MakaPay, stablecoin payments settle on-chain directly to your wallet in seconds to minutes, at about 1 percent, and you keep custody the entire time.

This guide explains how stablecoin settlement works, how USDT and USDC differ for a merchant, and how to set up acceptance without handing your money to a middleman.

What a stablecoin is, in merchant terms

A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency that tracks the value of a reference asset, almost always the US dollar. USDT (Tether) and USDC (USD Coin) are the two most widely used. Because they hold a steady value, the amount a customer pays matches the price you set and still holds that value when you settle. You get blockchain payment rails without exposure to price swings.

That is the core reason most merchants who accept crypto accept stablecoins specifically. You can price in dollars, get paid in dollar-equivalent tokens, and skip the guesswork.

How stablecoin settlement works

Settlement is the moment the payment becomes final and lands with you. With a non-custodial gateway the flow is direct:

1. You create a payment request, a link, an invoice, a POS code, or a WooCommerce checkout, specifying the amount, token, and network.
2. The customer sends USDT or USDC to the deterministic address tied to your account.
3. The network confirms the transfer, usually in seconds to a couple of minutes.
4. The funds settle to your wallet. They are yours immediately, with no payout schedule.

Because MakaPay uses a Vault system with deterministic addresses and non-custodial withdrawals, the platform never holds the stablecoins. They move from your customer to you.

USDT vs USDC: which to accept

Both are dollar stablecoins, and the practical answer for most merchants is to accept both and let customers pay with whichever they hold.

USDT (Tether) is the most widely held stablecoin globally, with the deepest adoption in many international markets. If you sell cross-border, more of your customers are likely to hold USDT.

USDC (USD Coin) is widely used and favored by many businesses and developers in North America and Europe for its reputation on reserves and transparency.

Supporting both maximizes the number of customers who can pay you without converting anything first. MakaPay supports USDT and USDC on major EVM chains including Ethereum, Polygon, and BNB Smart Chain.

Choosing networks and managing gas

The same stablecoin exists on multiple blockchains, and the network sets the fee and speed:

• Ethereum: most established, higher gas.
• Polygon: very low gas, fast.
• BNB Smart Chain: low gas, wide regional use.

A customer must pay on a network you accept, so enabling several increases the chance they can pay from what they already hold. The complication in multi-chain acceptance is normally gas, since each chain needs its own native token to move funds. MakaPay's Gas Tank removes that: you deposit gas once and it covers payments across every chain you support, so you are not stocking ETH, MATIC, and BNB separately.

Keeping custody of every payment

The reason to use a non-custodial gateway for stablecoins is the same reason custody matters generally. Custodial processors receive your stablecoins and pay you out later, which reintroduces delay and counterparty risk to an asset that otherwise settles instantly. Non-custodial settlement keeps the speed intact: the stablecoins go straight to your wallet, and no third party can freeze, pool, or delay them.

Your responsibility is to secure the wallet that receives them. Use a reputable wallet, back up your keys, and control who has access, the same discipline you already apply to banking credentials.

Accounting and refunds

Every stablecoin payment is recorded on a public ledger, so each sale comes with a verifiable transaction hash you can keep as a receipt. Record the amount in dollar terms, which for a stablecoin matches the token amount closely, along with the customer and the hash.

Refunds are a deliberate action. Because on-chain payments are final, you issue a refund by sending stablecoins back to the customer, rather than reversing a transaction. This is what removes chargeback fraud, and it means your refund policy is entirely under your control.

Getting set up

To start accepting stablecoins: control a business wallet, connect it to MakaPay, enable USDT and USDC on the networks you want, and generate a payment link, invoice, POS code, or WooCommerce checkout. From there every stablecoin payment settles directly to you at about 1 percent, with no subscription and no payout wait. For merchants who want the certainty of dollars with the speed of crypto, stablecoins are the most practical way to get paid on-chain.