BC Card Tests Stablecoin-to-Won Payments for Overseas Tourists

South Korea's BC Card has successfully completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) for using USDC payments from overseas wallet holders at domestic QR merchants. The PoC, which took place on August 12, 2026, used Wavebridge's conversion layer to convert the stablecoin to Korean won without requiring a currency exchange step.

BC Card and Wavebridge confirmed that the payment rails held up during the test, and no currency exchange was needed at the point of sale. The PoC also tested what happens when a transaction fails or gets canceled, with the stablecoin flowing back to the customer's wallet instead of getting stuck.

The proof-of-concept is significant because it could allow tourists visiting South Korea to skip currency exchange counters and pay directly using their USDC at local shops. The current PoC ran on Base, a public blockchain network built by Coinbase, using its Base Pay payment infrastructure as the settlement mechanism.