A new strategic alliance between AEON and USAT is set to accelerate the use of stablecoin payments in everyday commercial activity. The partnership is designed to connect a federally compliant digital dollar with a vast global merchant base, enabling stablecoins to function more like traditional payment instruments rather than niche crypto tools.
AEON, which positions itself as a core payment and settlement layer for the emerging AI-driven economy, has confirmed that USAT is now fully supported across its network. Through this integration, users are able to transact with USAT using AEON Pay, the company’s Web3 mobile payment solution. These transactions can take place both online and at physical retail locations, signaling a move toward mainstream, real-world usage of blockchain-based payments.
Global Merchant Access and Wallet Integration
Under the terms of the collaboration, USAT can now be used at more than 50 million merchants worldwide. These merchants span key regions including Southeast Asia, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil, and Georgia, with additional expansion planned across Africa and Latin America. This broad geographic footprint reflects a focus on markets where mobile payments and digital wallets are already deeply embedded in daily life.
AEON Pay is accessible through multiple channels, including a Telegram Mini App, as well as a wide range of established crypto wallets. These include Bitget Wallet, Binance Wallet, OKX Wallet, Solana Pay, TokenPocket, KuCoin, and Bybit. By integrating with these platforms, the partnership lowers barriers for users who already participate in the digital asset ecosystem.
The companies have indicated that this setup allows consumers to scan and pay at everyday locations such as retail stores, restaurants, and local service providers, helping stablecoins operate seamlessly alongside existing payment methods.
USAT’s Regulatory and Technical Positioning
USAT is a dollar-backed stablecoin that was officially launched by Tether on January 27, 2026. The asset was created specifically to support payment use cases within the United States and operates under the newly introduced GENIUS Act framework. As a regulated digital dollar, USAT has been structured to meet federal compliance standards while supporting high-frequency transactions, institutional settlement, and consumer payments.
By leveraging Tether’s long-standing liquidity infrastructure, USAT combines established market depth with regulatory alignment. This positioning is intended to address long-standing concerns around compliance and trust that have limited stablecoin adoption in mainstream commerce.
AEON × USAT @usat🤝
USA₮, a payments-native and compliant digital dollar, is now live across AEON Pay, enabling real-world crypto payments & AI native payment flow at 50M+ merchants worldwide.
Built for daily use today, and the AI economy tomorrow.https://t.co/sQ9VbwfZft pic.twitter.com/CnloXRDGZd
— AEON.XYZ (@AEON_Community) February 23, 2026
Supporting the Shift Toward AI-Driven Commerce
Beyond retail payments, AEON has emphasized that its infrastructure is built for a broader transformation in how commerce operates. The company supports emerging payment standards such as x402 and ERC-8004, which are designed to facilitate transactions between autonomous agents and AI-driven systems. AEON has argued that as commerce increasingly shifts from human-initiated actions to automated, agent-based workflows, payment rails must evolve accordingly.
By 2025, AEON’s AI payment infrastructure and Web3 mobile products, including AEON Pay, had processed approximately 5.7 million transactions with a combined volume exceeding $263 million. This operational scale, combined with access to tens of millions of real-world merchants, provides a strong foundation for expanding the everyday use of regulated digital dollars.
Moving Stablecoins Beyond Trading Use Cases
Stablecoins have become a core component of digital asset markets, particularly for trading and settlement, but their adoption in everyday retail has progressed more slowly. The integration of USAT into AEON’s merchant network represents an effort to close this gap by linking regulated onchain liquidity with real-world financial activity.
The partnership places particular emphasis on emerging markets, where digital wallets are often more common than traditional banking services. As AI-driven commerce continues to develop, infrastructure that balances compliance, liquidity, and usability is expected to play a critical role in shaping the next phase of digital finance.
