Bitget Wallet Adds Scan-to-Pay QR for Offline USDT/USDC in APAC
Bitget Wallet announced an APAC rollout of scan-to-pay QR payments that works offline. Users can scan local merchant QR codes inside Bitget Wallet, a self-custodial wallet, to pay for goods and services without merchants changing point-of-sale systems.
The feature starts with stablecoins—USDT and USDC—across Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain. When a payment is initiated via a supported QR code, the stablecoins are deducted from the user’s wallet. Merchants receive settlement in local fiat currency through traditional payment rails, while the blockchain transaction settlement stays transparent onchain.
Bitget Wallet said it builds the service on its “Onchain Payments Matrix,” designed to connect blockchains and self-custodial wallets to regional banks and legacy payment networks. Over time, it plans to expand QR eligibility beyond stablecoins, targeting 1,000+ tokens.
For adoption, the company cited APAC’s QR-heavy consumer payment behavior, noting that digital wallets accounted for 59% of point-of-sale transaction value in APAC in 2024 (Worldpay data). It also referenced estimates that global QR payment values could rise from $5.4T in 2025 to over $8T by 2029.
A promotional campaign will reward users with random tokens for eligible transactions. Notably, stablecoin rails (USDT/USDC) are the immediate driver for QR payments, which could increase real-world usage of these assets in APAC retail.
Bullish
This is broadly bullish for crypto markets, mainly because it can increase real-world demand for stablecoins—specifically USDT and USDC—via familiar QR-based retail payments in APAC. Stablecoins tend to see sustained inflows when payment rails expand, which can support liquidity and reduce friction for onchain settlement.
In the short term, news about Bitget Wallet enabling scan-to-pay QR on Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain could nudge traders to watch stablecoin volumes and related chain activity (onchain payment counts, exchanges’ stablecoin inflows/outflows). However, since the article doesn’t mention a new exchange listing or protocol-level revenue jump, any immediate price impact on major coins is likely limited.
In the long term, if “USDT/USDC-first” QR payments scale and later extend to 1,000+ tokens, it could broaden the utility of onchain payments and reinforce the trend toward crypto-to-merchant settlement through fiat rails. Historically, similar adoption announcements around payment integrations often shift sentiment from “crypto as speculation” toward “crypto as infrastructure,” which is supportive—especially for stablecoin ecosystems. Risks remain: broader token eligibility and promotional rewards can introduce volatility, and actual adoption will depend on merchant coverage and user behavior.