What It Means for Altcoins

PayPal announced the expansion of its “Pay with Crypto” platform, allowing US merchants to accept over 100 cryptocurrencies, settle transactions instantly, and reduce international fees by up to 90%.

While PayPal’s stablecoin PYUSD is the clearest winner, the ripple effect across altcoins could be significant.

At the heart of PayPal’s strategy is its stablecoin, PYUSD. Following the announcement, trading volume for PYUSD spiked 158%, reflecting growing interest in the coin’s utility and embedded incentives.

Businesses using PayPal can now earn 4% APY on PYUSD held within their Wallet. Additional perks include instant access to proceeds, sidestepping delays, and high fees characteristic of traditional banking rails.

“Using PayPal’s open platform, the business can accept crypto for payments, increase their profit margins, pay lower transaction fees, get near instant access to proceeds, and grow funds stored as PYUSD at 4%,” read an excerpt in the announcement, citing Alex Chriss, CEO of PayPal.

This move aligns with PayPal’s broader vision of turning PYUSD into a native asset for global commerce. Its recent partnership with Fiserv to expand stablecoin use worldwide enhances this ambition further.

Winners Beyond PYUSD: Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, and More

Meanwhile, the infrastructure enabling PYUSD is also in the spotlight. Blockchains that facilitate PayPal’s stablecoin, like Ethereum (ETH), Arbitrum (ARB), Stellar (XLM), and Solana (SOL), are poised for increased transaction activity as more businesses tap into the platform. Solana in particular is already seeing momentum.

“Fintech giant PayPal now allows US merchants to accept over 100 cryptocurrencies, including Solana-based meme coins like TRUMP and FARTCOIN,” wrote SolanaFloor.

While meme coins remain speculative, their inclusion highlights PayPal’s commitment to broad support across ecosystems.

This model could mirror the TRON (TRX) boom that followed widespread adoption of USDT on its network. The volume potential is enormous, with over 650 million crypto users globally and a $3+ trillion market cap.

Who Else Benefits? Altcoins Accepted for Payment

Beyond infrastructure, coins directly supported for payment could experience fresh demand. PayPal revealed it will support over 100 cryptocurrencies through integrations with wallets like Coinbase, MetaMask, Phantom, OKX, Kraken, and Binance.

This includes majors like BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, XRP, BNB, and SOL, as well as unexpected additions like TRUMP and FARTCOIN.

As PayPal begins onboarding US merchants in the coming weeks, this broad coin acceptance could bring newfound utility to altcoins that have traditionally seen limited real-world payment use.

Ultimately, PayPal’s expansion is about more than pumping a few tokens. It signals a structural shift toward crypto-native commerce, unlocking borderless payments and financial access for businesses globally.

“By enabling seamless cross-border crypto payments, we’re breaking long-standing barriers in global commerce. These innovations don’t just simplify payments—they drive merchant growth, expand consumer choice, and reduce costs,” said Chriss.