JD.com plans to use stablecoins to cut cross-border payment

JD.com, the $90 billion Chinese e-commerce powerhouse, has announced an ambitious plan to reinvent how money moves across borders using stablecoins. The company says its new blockchain-based payment infrastructure could cut the time and cost of international transactions dramatically, with near-instant settlements and fees slashed by as much as 90%.

The announcement came from JD’s chairman and founder, Liu Qiangdong, during a public forum this week, where he laid out the company’s vision: faster payments, fewer intermediaries, and a future where businesses and consumers alike transact with digital currencies tied to local fiat.

The market reaction was relatively quiet. JD shares opened with a slight uptick to around $33.90 before settling back to $33.47.

JD.com wants to reinvent B2B payments

At the core of JD’s initiative is a pilot project in Hong Kong’s regulatory sandbox for stablecoins, led by its subsidiary, Jingdong Coinlink Technology. Liu noted that typical cross-border payments between businesses relying on legacy correspondent banking can take two to four days and rack up significant fees.

JD wants to compress that to less than 10 seconds.

To do this, the company is leveraging its in-house blockchain network, Zhizhen Chain, which is already moving roughly $7 billion annually through its supply chain finance operations. The idea is to eliminate the intermediary banks, clearinghouses, and other third parties and allow companies to settle directly with each other using stablecoins.

While the initial focus is on business-to-business transactions, JD has its sights set on something much larger. Once the infrastructure proves stable and scalable, the company plans to expand stablecoin usage to its consumer platforms.

That could mean integrating stablecoin payments into JD’s e-commerce checkout experience, opening the door for its nearly 600 million active users to use digital currency for everyday shopping. With a logistics footprint spanning 20 countries, JD has the rails in place to build a truly global payment system.

Industry analysts suggest that JD could even require or incentivize merchants on its platform to accept its stablecoin, helping to accelerate adoption.

The stablecoin race is attracting a crowd

JD isn’t the only major Chinese tech player eyeing the stablecoin sweepstakes. Ant Group—best known for operating Alipay recently said its international arm would apply for a stablecoin license in Hong Kong when the city’s new law goes into effect in August 2025. It’s also exploring regulatory approvals in Singapore and Luxembourg.

Hong Kong has emerged as a regional leader for regulated stablecoin innovation. Since launching a sandbox in 2023, the city has seen a flurry of activity from global players, including Standard Chartered and Xiaomi’s Tianxing Bank, all of whom are testing tokenized payment systems under the eye of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).

With its new Stablecoin Ordinance set to roll out in full by August 2025, the city is positioning itself as a launchpad for Asia’s next wave of fintech disruption, one that mainland companies like JD and Ant can tap into, despite China’s domestic crypto ban.

Analysts estimate the global stablecoin market at roughly $250 billion this year, with projections climbing to nearly $1 trillion by 2030.

Western financial giants like PayPal and MasterCard have already rolled out or tested their own token-based settlement systems, adding to the sense that the industry is entering a new phase.

JD’s approach, building on its proprietary blockchain and integrating directly with its retail ecosystem, gives it a unique angle. But it also faces hurdles. Stablecoin infrastructure isn’t just a tech problem; it’s a regulatory maze, especially when moving money across dozens of jurisdictions.

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