Coins.ph has rolled out a new QRPh Stablecoin Payment feature, allowing users to pay merchants using Philippine pesos, stablecoins, or a mix of both in a single transaction. The update went live on April 21, 2026, marking the first time a locally licensed e-wallet has integrated stablecoin payments directly into the country’s national QR payment system.

The feature works within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’s QRPh standard, which is already used by hundreds of thousands of merchants nationwide. With the update, users can scan a QRPh code and choose to pay using PHP, USDT, USDC, or a combination of fiat and crypto, with the app automatically handling real-time conversion and settlement in pesos.

Coins.ph said the goal is to remove friction in spending digital assets by eliminating the need for manual conversion before making purchases. Transactions display conversion rates upfront, and refunds are processed in PHP regardless of the original payment method. The rollout immediately enables stablecoin payments across nearly 700,000 QRPh-enabled merchants, ranging from small neighborhood stores to large retail chains. The company’s existing QRPh infrastructure—reportedly handling close to ₱30 billion in transactions in December 2025—now extends to crypto-linked payments.

CEO Wei Zhou described the launch as a step toward mainstream adoption, saying the feature is designed for both everyday spending and larger retail purchases. The company also plans to expand support to additional stablecoins in future updates. This move comes as Coins.ph continues to position itself at the intersection of regulated finance and crypto. It operates as a licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider and Electronic Money Issuer under the BSP, and previously introduced PHPC, a peso-backed stablecoin currently under regulatory sandbox conditions.

Industry observers view the integration as a practical bridge between crypto holdings and real-world payments, particularly in a market like the Philippines where QR-based transactions are widely adopted and remittance flows remain high. Unlike global self-custodial wallets that have experimented with QRPh compatibility, Coins.ph’s implementation runs fully within the country’s regulatory framework. While the feature simplifies crypto spending, users may still need to consider tax implications tied to crypto-to-fiat conversions at checkout. Nonetheless, the launch signals a broader push toward making digital assets usable in daily transactions rather than remaining purely investment instruments.