Ship or Die at Accelerate 2025: PayFi at Scale (Ahmed Zifzaf - Worldpay)

In a groundbreaking announcement, Worldpay, the world's largest payment processor, has unveiled a partnership with Solana and the Global Dollar Network to revolutionize global payments using the USDG stablecoin. This collaboration promises to bring instant settlement, reduced costs, and DeFi integration to the $2 trillion annual payment volume processed by Worldpay.

Summary

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Ahmed Zifzaf, Head of Crypto Partnerships at Worldpay, presented at Accelerate 2025, detailing the company's ambitious plans to bridge traditional finance with the crypto world. Worldpay, processing a staggering $2 trillion in annual payment volume, is leveraging blockchain technology to offer same-day settlements and innovative treasury management solutions to its vast network of global merchants.

The partnership with Solana and the Global Dollar Network, utilizing the USDG stablecoin, aims to dramatically reduce settlement times from weeks to mere hours. This move could potentially bring billions of dollars in transaction volume on-chain, marking a significant step towards mainstream crypto adoption.

Worldpay's vision extends beyond just facilitating crypto payments. The company is exploring ways to integrate DeFi protocols, enabling merchants to optimize yield on their holdings and automate complex treasury operations using smart contracts. This comprehensive approach could reshape how global businesses manage their finances and interact with blockchain technology.

Key Points:

Worldpay's Role in Global Payments

Worldpay is the largest payment processor globally, handling transactions when consumers use credit cards at local stores or online. The company's core function is to ensure payments are processed efficiently, fraud is minimized, and merchants receive their funds promptly. With a total annual payment volume of $2 trillion, Worldpay processes about 50 billion transactions per year across various industries and countries.

In the crypto space, Worldpay has been a pioneer since 2014, supporting crypto exchanges in accepting credit card payments for cryptocurrency purchases. Last year alone, the company facilitated about $6 billion in card-to-crypto transactions, processing approximately 38 million crypto-related transactions annually.

Partnership with Solana and USDG

Worldpay has announced a significant partnership with Solana and the Global Dollar Network, utilizing the USDG stablecoin for settlement. This collaboration aims to leverage blockchain technology to dramatically reduce settlement times for merchants. Traditional payment systems can take days or even weeks in some countries for merchants to receive funds. With this new system, Worldpay can potentially offer same-day (T+0) settlements using stablecoins on the Solana network.

The partnership with Solana and USDG is seen as a strategic move to distribute stablecoins more effectively worldwide. Worldpay believes that the consortium model of the Global Dollar Network, combined with Solana's high-performance blockchain, provides the right approach for global stablecoin adoption. This system could offer significant advantages to businesses, particularly in managing cash flow and reducing the cost of capital.

Vision for Blockchain Integration in Global Finance

Worldpay's vision extends beyond just facilitating crypto payments. The company aims to leverage smart contracts and blockchain technology to automate and streamline complex financial operations for large corporations. This includes automating treasury management, supplier payments, and employee payroll on a global scale.

By moving these processes on-chain, Worldpay believes it can significantly reduce the headaches associated with managing global finances. The goal is to provide tools that allow businesses to maximize the benefits of blockchain technology, whether they want to use it in the background or actively engage with crypto assets.

DeFi Integration and Yield Optimization

A key aspect of Worldpay's strategy is the integration of DeFi protocols into their service offerings. The company is exploring ways to help businesses optimize yield on their holdings when using stablecoins for settlements. This could provide a significant advantage over traditional fiat settlements, where funds often sit idle in bank accounts.

By partnering with various DeFi protocols and infrastructure providers in the Solana ecosystem and beyond, Worldpay aims to offer a comprehensive suite of financial services that bridge traditional finance with the innovations of the crypto world. This could include yield farming, liquidity provision, and other DeFi strategies tailored for corporate treasuries.

Facts + Figures

• Worldpay processes $2 trillion in annual payment volume globally
• The company handles 50 billion total transactions per year
• In the crypto space, Worldpay facilitated $6 billion in card-to-crypto transactions last year
• Worldpay processes about 38 million crypto transactions annually
• The company was founded in 2014 and was the first to support global crypto exchanges in accepting credit card payments
• Worldpay's payment volume is four times the size of the entire DeFi market
• The new partnership aims to reduce settlement times from up to 30 days to same-day (T+0) settlements
• Worldpay works with major crypto exchanges and wallets, as well as global retailers and airlines

Top quotes

• "We're the largest payment processor in the world, which means when you tap your credit card at your local grocery store or online, it's likely that Worldpay is involved in making sure that payment is processed."
• "When we think about the next billion users on chain, on my team, we think a lot about how do we bring the next billion dollars of volume on chain?"
• "We think that USDG and its consortium model in partnership with Solana really is the right way to go about distribution of stablecoins around the world."
• "Our vision is if you're a treasury management team for a big company, let's say you have thousands of employees around the world, you have thousands of suppliers around the world, can we use smart contracts? Can we use these internet native assets to allow your teams to automate a lot of the work and a lot of the headache that they typically have to deal with?"

Questions Answered

What is Worldpay and what do they do?

Worldpay is the world's largest payment processor, handling transactions when consumers use credit cards at stores or online. They ensure payments are processed efficiently, minimize fraud, and get money to merchants quickly. Worldpay processes about $2 trillion in annual payment volume, handling around 50 billion transactions per year across various industries and countries.

How is Worldpay involved in the crypto space?

Worldpay has been active in the crypto space since 2014, supporting crypto exchanges in accepting credit card payments for cryptocurrency purchases. Last year, they facilitated about $6 billion in card-to-crypto transactions, processing approximately 38 million crypto-related transactions annually. They work with major crypto exchanges and wallets to enable fiat-to-crypto on-ramps.

What is Worldpay's new partnership with Solana and USDG?

Worldpay has announced a partnership with Solana and the Global Dollar Network, utilizing the USDG stablecoin for settlement. This collaboration aims to leverage Solana's blockchain to dramatically reduce settlement times for merchants, potentially offering same-day (T+0) settlements using stablecoins. This could significantly improve cash flow management for businesses and reduce costs associated with traditional payment systems.

How does Worldpay plan to integrate DeFi into its services?

Worldpay is exploring ways to integrate DeFi protocols into their service offerings. They aim to help businesses optimize yield on their stablecoin holdings used for settlements. This could include yield farming, liquidity provision, and other DeFi strategies tailored for corporate treasuries. By partnering with various DeFi protocols in the Solana ecosystem and beyond, Worldpay plans to offer a comprehensive suite of financial services that bridge traditional finance with crypto innovations.

What is Worldpay's vision for blockchain integration in global finance?

Worldpay envisions using smart contracts and blockchain technology to automate and streamline complex financial operations for large corporations. This includes automating treasury management, supplier payments, and employee payroll on a global scale. Their goal is to provide tools that allow businesses to maximize the benefits of blockchain technology, whether they want to use it in the background or actively engage with crypto assets. This could potentially reshape how global businesses manage their finances and interact with blockchain technology.

How does Worldpay's payment volume compare to the DeFi market?

Worldpay's annual payment volume of $2 trillion is approximately four times the size of the entire DeFi market. This comparison highlights the massive potential for growth and adoption if Worldpay successfully integrates blockchain and DeFi technologies into its existing payment infrastructure.

What advantages does Worldpay's new stablecoin settlement system offer?

The new stablecoin settlement system using USDG on Solana can potentially reduce settlement times from weeks to same-day. This offers significant advantages in cash flow management, especially in countries where traditional settlements can take up to 30 days. It also allows businesses to potentially earn yield on their holdings and reduce costs associated with cross-border payments.

How does Worldpay plan to onboard traditional businesses to blockchain technology?

Worldpay aims to make blockchain technology easy to use for traditional businesses by showing them the tangible benefits, such as faster settlements and potential yield generation. They plan to offer solutions that can work in the background, allowing businesses to benefit from blockchain without necessarily having to interact directly with crypto assets if they choose not to.