Web3 Community Unites to Support Japan After Earthquake

**Shift4**, one of the world's largest independent payment processors, has integrated **Polygon** for stablecoin settlement. This integration allows hundreds of thousands of merchants globally to receive payments faster and transfer funds around the clock. **Key benefits:** - Merchants can now move funds 24/7, eliminating delays from traditional banking hours - Payments settle on infrastructure designed for global commerce - Faster settlement times compared to conventional payment rails This follows a recent trend of payment infrastructure moving on-chain. In May, a global payroll provider enabled contractors and employees across 100 countries to receive stablecoin payments on Polygon within seconds. The integration represents a practical application of blockchain technology in mainstream commerce, offering merchants more flexibility in managing their cash flow without depending on traditional banking schedules.

Polygon is positioning itself as a specialized payments blockchain, securing backing from major players Meta and Visa. **Key Developments:** - Stablecoin cards processed **$381M** in combined Mastercard and Visa volume on Polygon between June-August - Multi-year collaboration with Flutterwave (processing $40B annually) to address high fees and slow settlement in emerging markets - Payment infrastructure aims to make crypto transactions as simple as credit card taps The partnerships signal a shift toward practical blockchain applications in everyday payments, focusing on speed, accessibility, and reduced costs across global markets. [Read the full Forbes piece](https://www.forbes.com/sites/boazsobrado/2026/06/21/polygon-is-just-a-payments-focused-chain-meta-and-visa-bet-on-it/)

Polygon is positioning itself as a universal solution for moving money, regardless of geographic location. According to Marc Boiron speaking to Forbes, the platform is specifically built for this singular purpose. **Key Points:** - Polygon aims to provide money movement options for anyone, anywhere in the world - The focus is on lowering barriers to financial connectivity - Polygon Labs CPO John Gannon draws from personal experience living globally to address practical challenges in accessing and moving money The initiative reflects Polygon's commitment to making financial infrastructure more accessible by reducing friction in cross-border transactions.

**Major Infrastructure Milestone** Polygon Chain now processes 5,000 payments per second with 1.5-second block times, marking a significant performance upgrade. **Banking and Institutional Adoption** - Cubewire published a banks-onchain whitepaper featuring Polygon - PodsFinance selected Polygon as Selection Partner for the Global Neobank Alliance - ZiskVM launched its ZK VM after incubation at Polygon Labs **Stablecoin Expansion** - AllUnityStable launched 3 MiCAR-compliant stablecoins (euro/franc/krona) - Transfero Group enabled BRZ at QR checkout via Bitget Wallet - DPTPay expanded stablecoin payments to Africa These developments build on recent momentum, including Mastercard's Agent Pay launch and Polygon crossing $79.25B in monthly stablecoin volume.

AllUnity has launched three MiCAR-compliant stablecoins on Polygon, enabling European businesses to transact in regulated digital currencies. **Key Details:** - EURAU (Euro), CHFAU (Swiss Franc), and SEKAU (Swedish Krona) now settle on Polygon - Each stablecoin is backed 1:1 by its respective fiat currency - All three comply with Europe's MiCAR regulatory framework **Background:** AllUnity is a regulated e-money institution backed by DWS Group, Flow Traders, and Galaxy. The company previously partnered with [Chainlink](https://allunity.com/news/allunity-enters-strategic-partnership-with-chainlink-to-power-cross-chain-stablecoin-payments-across-europe/) to enable cross-chain transfers across multiple networks including Arbitrum, Base, Ethereum, Optimism, Solana, and the Canton Network. This expansion brings regulated European currency options to Polygon users and businesses.