Stablecoins Unleash Hidden Potential in Subscription Economy

Stablecoins have typically been associated with cross-border payments, but their true potential lies in recurring billing for subscription-based services. According to Anna Kratky Strebl, CEO of Confirmo, a stablecoin payments provider, this is because subscriptions require repeat, high-volume, and predictable transactions that can be processed efficiently using stablecoins.

A one-off payment only needs to be successful once, but a subscription has to work on schedule indefinitely without any issues. The traditional card-based system was not designed for this level of endurance, as cards expire mid-subscription, payments get declined, and failed billing cycles cause involuntary churn.

Stablecoins solve these problems by allowing payment to pull directly from the customer's wallet on each billing date, eliminating complications such as expired cards or re-authorisation cycles. The scale of this opportunity is significant, with the subscription economy forecasted to reach $1.2 trillion by 2030 according to Juniper Research.

The MiCA authorisation deadline for crypto-asset service providers passed on July 1, 2026, making the choice of provider a due-diligence decision rather than just a product selection. It's crucial to ensure that the chosen provider is authorised under MiCA and has a custody model that supports both exchange accounts and self-custody wallets.