How can stablecoins break workflow bottlenecks and unleash trillion-dollar market potential?

Editor's Note:This article emphasizes that the main obstacle to cross-border B2B payments is not the payment itself, but the incomplete workflow, including data management, regulatory complexity, taxation, and approval chains. Although stablecoins can improve payment execution, they alone cannot solve complex workflows. Truly successful projects should integrate stablecoins through automated processes to optimize workflows, increase transparency, reduce errors, and achieve efficient and compliant global payments. This comprehensive approach will drive the development of global payment business and create huge market opportunities.

The following is the original content (the original content has been reorganized for easier reading and understanding):

B2B payment systems are often seen as just pressing the "send" button to transfer funds from one entity to another. With this perspective, many stablecoin projects focus on improving transaction channels — such as checks, wires, or digital transfers — while neglecting the critical, domain-specific processes before and after the transfer. In reality: B2B payments are the culmination of a wide range of workflows, most of which focus on data verification, compliance or regulatory steps, and multiple party approvals before funds can be transferred. This gap between the notion that “we just need to pay someone” and the reality that we must first confirm multiple contractual and operational details becomes particularly apparent in cross-border transactions, where unique legal frameworks, local tax regulations, and exchange rate fluctuations exacerbate operational complexities. In fact, the growing relevance of digital assets — and especially stablecoins (e.g. @hadickM) — has begun to intersect with these workflows, providing a potential streamlined path for money movement if combined with strong workflow automation.

This article seeks to argue that the introduction of stablecoins should not be viewed as a mere efficiency gain at the “payment execution” level; rather, it must be integrated into a workflow-centric solution to unlock the trillion-dollar opportunity according to @PanteraCapital. I believe the most valuable layer in the stablecoin payments stack is the orchestration layer, which, as @robbiepetersen_ says, simplifies complex workflows and covers as many geographies as possible.

A Hierarchy of Needs for B2B Payments

A useful conceptual tool is to view B2B payments as a layered “hierarchy of needs”. These layers include:

· Data Collection and Invoice Management
B2B transactions typically involve aggregating supplier information, parsing invoices, and reconciling them to purchase orders or delivery records.

· Compliance and regulatory checks
Companies must verify that suppliers comply with local or international regulations, including KYC (know your customer) and AML (anti-money laundering) requirements.

· Tax reconciliation
Determining the correct local and cross-border tax obligations—such as withholding taxes or VAT—can be complex, especially when shipping goods across borders.

· Approvals and audits
Many organizations require multiple layers of approval chains. Audit records and real-time visibility of approvals further complicate workflows.

· Payment execution
The final transfer of funds—traditionally via check, ACH, wire transfer, or other channels—sits on top of this structure.

By recognizing that payment execution depends on the layers below it, solution providers can design comprehensive systems that handle all stages, thereby avoiding failures or delays caused by insufficient data tracking, non-compliance or incomplete approval chains.

Cross-border payment workflows: some real bottlenecks

Cross-border B2B payments amplify the challenges in the domestic payment environment:

1. Regulatory complexity
Each jurisdiction has unique requirements for foreign exchange transactions, not only in terms of AML/KYC, but also often requires specific documentation related to trade laws and customs.

2. Detailed tax obligations
From import duties to VAT, cross-border transactions require precise tracking and sometimes the need to allocate tax responsibilities to multiple parties in different regions.

3. Extended approval layers
Subsidiaries and parent companies often have complex sign-off procedures. Any mismatch in local compliance, product classification or documentation can prevent payments from being processed in a timely manner.
In many cases, these complexities are a greater barrier to timely and accurate payments than the friction of the payment channel itself.

Industry Example Description

Freight & Logistics: Freight Audit and Beyond

Background: In freight & logistics, multiple carriers charge transportation, handling, surcharges, and even penalties for early/late arrivals. Fuel costs fluctuate, and complex multi-leg transportation arrangements can result in very complex invoices.

Workflow Pain Points: The core challenge is not pressing the "pay the truck company" button, but how to reliably match these charges to the agreement, verify that the weight of the goods and the transportation distance are calculated correctly, and account for potential exceptions.

Why it matters: B2B payment solutions that focus only on seamless payment interfaces miss the larger issue of verifying invoice details - a step that is often still managed by large teams or outsourced business process outsourcing (BPO) companies. A better approach is to integrate with shipping documents, track changes to plans or shipments, and detect invoice errors before payment.

Real World Example: Loop focused on auditing and workflow logic first, then added payment capabilities. Another example might be an AI solution that automatically scans and parses shipping documents, pushes exceptions into a queue, and only then unlocks the payment mechanism.

Construction and Upstream Supply Chain

Context: Construction projects involve multiple layers of suppliers (from lumber and cement to electrical and mechanical subsystems). Tax burdens vary by region and project type.

Workflow Pain Point: The contractor doesn’t just need to pay for “50 cubic yards of concrete,” he needs to confirm that the purchase is related to a specific project or permit, apply the correct local taxes, and confirm that the purchase is authorized under the correct work code.

Why it matters: Tools that simply accelerate transactions—without capturing or automating these approvals—don’t solve the larger problem. B2B solutions that automate these inspections, integrate with building permits, coordinate with subcontractor budgets, and streamline partial deliveries can deliver more lasting value to the end user.

Real World Example: Nickel integrates with a tax calculation engine to manage the complexity of different tax rates for the same goods, depending on usage, buyer classification, and location. Other vendors may embed material usage forms and generate compliance documents before any payment is triggered.

Fuel Card and Expense Management

Background: Managing a fleet of trucks, cars, equipment, or company vehicles involves controlling a large number of operational expenses.

Workflow Pain Points: Fuel is an obvious expense, but it’s just as easy for drivers to spend money on non-category items (such as snacks, personal fuel, or items not approved by the company). Therefore, control and visibility are more important than simply “paying for gas.”

Why it matters: Tools like Wex, Fleetcor, Mudflap, AtoB, and Coast effectively combine purchase transactions with real-time policy controls, allowing supervisors to see if drivers are purchasing items that are not relevant to the fleet—and optimize for cheaper gas stations.

Real-world example: A solution might integrate in-vehicle communications and route optimization software to detect anomalies in mileage or fuel consumption, flag suspicious purchases, and allow transactions to flow only after relevant approvals or checks are passed.

Vendor management and invoice approvals

Context: Large companies may have thousands of suppliers, with invoices in a variety of formats—some digital, some PDF, and even some paper.

Workflow pain point: Accounts payable teams must ensure that each invoice is valid, has no duplicates, is assigned to the correct budget code, and complies with relevant supplier agreements.

Why it matters: The “pay” step may be the simplest part—just write a check or send an ACH. But verifying that a $3,500 invoice is correct, or that $100 was overcharged, consumes a lot of manual work.

Real-world example: Solutions like Tipalti, Coupa, or SAP Concur embed invoice intake, expense management, and vendor onboarding processes. They transform messy data into standardized entries, allow for multiple levels of approval, and handle currency conversions as needed, only after which the funds are released.

Sales Commissions for SaaS Platforms

Background: SaaS companies often set up complex commission structures for sales teams, with different percentages and bonuses applying depending on product type, region, or subscription level.

Workflow Pain Point: Calculating and verifying each commission can be more complex than paying a salesperson’s bonus check. Discrepancies can lead to disputes and dissatisfaction.

Why it matters: Automating a correct and transparent commission structure requires a robust system that integrates with CRM data, tracks subscription usage or expansion, and takes into account distribution among multiple sales reps.

Real world example: Platforms like CaptivateIQ or Spiff focus on solving the data and workflow problems of commission calculations. Before the payment is ready, the system has already optimized large amounts of data and automatically handles special cases, avoiding error-prone spreadsheets.

Integrate stablecoin payments into workflows to increase efficiency

While traditional payment methods (e.g., checks, ACH, SWIFT) can be slow and expensive, especially in cross-border payments, stablecoins have emerged as a powerful alternative for settling digital payments. Here are some key considerations (as mentioned by @proofofnathan):

Reduced Settlement Times
Stablecoins can provide nearly instant settlement, bypassing the multiple intermediary banks typically involved in cross-border remittances. This feature is particularly helpful in preventing unnecessary payment delays when workflows have already ensured that all operational conditions are met and approvals are complete.

Automated Compliance Checks
Workflow platforms that integrate stablecoin transfers can be designed to initiate on-chain payments only when specific smart contract conditions are met—such as supplier identity confirmation, compliance document clearance, or proof of delivery. This automated compliance process reduces manual intervention and errors.

Transparent FX Management
In many stablecoin arrangements, assets are often pegged to a major currency (such as the U.S. dollar), reducing the impact of exchange rate fluctuations. This transparency can simplify payment reconciliation and accounting. In addition, integrating stablecoin payment corridors with advanced workflows can automatically convert stablecoins into local currency for the end recipient, reducing the complexity of manual financial management.

Micro-transaction cost savings
If B2B transactions involve small, recurring payments across borders—such as paying micro-invoices to overseas contractors—stablecoins can reduce fixed transaction fees. A workflow-based approach can bundle or schedule these payments to optimize gas fees or network costs on certain blockchain infrastructures.

Expanded value-added services
Once companies integrate stablecoins into payment workflows, new opportunities become feasible. For example, features such as support for instant financing, real-time invoice discounting, or embedded dynamic discounts can all be encoded in the workflow. A stablecoin-based system can make these features happen with as little friction as possible.

Benefits of a workflow-first strategy in cross-border payments

Increased transparency and auditability
By emphasizing documented, automated approvals, organizations ensure that every step, from KYC and AML checks to contract matching, is thoroughly traceable. This process reduces disputes and compliance risks.

Minimize Human Touchpoints
Manual oversight at each stage can lead to delays and errors. An end-to-end workflow approach—with the final stage likely settled in stablecoins—automates and simplifies interactions, significantly reducing overall cycle time.

Scalable Solutions for Global Expansion
Companies that rely on ad hoc cross-border payment methods often struggle to scale their business. In contrast, workflow platforms that integrate stablecoin payment rails and dynamic compliance management enable faster, more cost-effective entry into new markets.

Bundled Value Proposition
Companies that offer pure “payments” functionality have limited differentiation. Those that can handle documentation, compliance burdens, and payment flows in a single, integrated platform will become indispensable partners to their customers, ensuring more stable, high-margin commercial relationships.

Conclusion

While conventional wisdom views B2B payments primarily as a matter of efficient money transfer, the real barriers to cross-border payments efficiency lie in imperfect or incomplete workflows.

These limitations stem from fragmented data management, complex regulatory requirements, extended approval chains, and uncertain tax obligations. While many stablecoin projects aim to improve existing payment rails, stablecoins alone cannot solve these multifaceted workflow issues.

While these stablecoin projects position themselves as a payment execution layer, I believe that the winners who will capture the largest share of the payments market will be those that adopt a systemic, workflow-first mindset to address these foundational issues and enable faster, more transparent, and less error-prone global payments.

These projects need to build powerful tools embedded in thoughtful, automated processes to confirm supplier qualifications, reconcile invoices, manage taxes, and enforce multiple layers of approvals.

The trillion-dollar opportunity is for projects that take a holistic approach—those that optimize workflow orchestration and leverage the efficiencies of stablecoins. They are not only able to provide faster and more affordable international payment services, but also seamlessly integrate compliance, tax, and documentation requirements.

Such synergies not only enhance everyday payment operations, but also enable companies to expand into emerging markets, launch new financial products, and create lasting competitive differentiation in the global B2B financial sector.