TL;DR:
- Brian Armstrong stated that stablecoin transfers allow money to be moved globally with fees under one US cent.
- The documented policies of Tether and Circle include technical powers to freeze funds and restrict addresses in the secondary market.
- Commercial integrations, such as those by Nium and PPRO, channel stablecoin payments into operating networks in more than 190 countries.
Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, pointed out that anyone in the world can custody dollars and traditional fiat currencies thanks to stablecoins. The executive emphasized that these assets facilitate immediate global transfers for a cost of less than one US cent.
Stablecoins give everyone in the world the ability to hold dollars (and many other major fiat currencies), and send them instantly anywhere in the world for less than 1 cent.
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) November 6, 2026
Stablecoins give everyone in the world the ability to hold dollars (and many other major fiat currencies), and send them instantly anywhere in the world for less than 1 cent.
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) November 6, 2026
The executive described an already existing functionality in today’s technological infrastructure, without associating it with the launch of a new service or specific product from Coinbase. His post on X focused solely on the storage and sending of capital.
The information did not include details of the costs associated with the processes of prior conversion or subsequent withdrawal into local currencies. Nor did it specify a particular settlement network on which the estimated fee of less than a cent was calculated.
The Base network, developed by Coinbase, documents a payment structure that operates in four consecutive phases: external funding, conversion to stable tokens, settlement on the decentralized network, and final delivery to the recipient. This architecture supports settlements outside traditional business hours for international payroll and commercial settlements.
On the corporate front, the payment gateway Nium and Coinbase formalized their union in April. They allied to connect payments with stablecoins. The company reported that its network links liquidity infrastructure, accounts, and custody to serve banking entities and fintech companies in more than 190 jurisdictions.
Public Transparency and Privacy Tools
Following the publication, the response from industry participants was immediate, questioning the exposure of financial data in open ledgers. Users on social media argued that the visibility of balances and transaction history on transparent blockchains exposes financial operations to third parties, resembling a publicly accessible bank statement.
Ethereum’s documentation supports this structural principle by detailing that transactions and balances are traceable in its distributed ledger. The network operates under a model of pseudonymity rather than absolute anonymity, meaning certain transfer patterns enable correlation and the potential identification of users.
In response to these observations, the industry has seen progress in complementary solutions aimed at mitigating information exposure. In May 2026, Polygon deployed a private stablecoin transfer system through the integration of Hinkal.
Polygon’s report indicates that the protocol enables transactions with USDC and USDT without publicly showing the sender, recipient, or the volume transferred. The scheme adds pre-verification mechanisms that allow companies to comply with audit requirements and regulatory standards without disclosing data on the base layer.
Freezing Clauses and Control of Centralized Issuers
In addition to privacy observations, the public discussion addressed the controls that major stablecoin issuers maintain over funds. Various analysts stressed that centralized technical designs grant parent companies the ability to freeze balances at the smart contract level.
In Tether’s case, the company formalized a wallet-freezing policy in December 2023 linked to the guidelines of the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This provision authorizes the freezing of USDT holdings in both direct accounts and secondary market transactions.
For its part, Circle’s terms of service for USDC establish that the firm reserves the right to block transfers to or from specific addresses. The legal documents specify that these measures are applied in cases of suspected illegal activities, contractual breaches, or formal requests from government authorities.
The conditions stipulated by Circle expressly point out that its restriction clauses extend to any holder of the asset, even when the user does not have a direct account on the Circle Mint platform.
On a trading level, last May 27, Coinbase announced a partnership with provider PPRO to integrate stablecoins into merchant checkout terminals in the United States. The implementation contemplates expansion to other jurisdictions during upcoming operating cycles, allowing fee-free gas transactions for buyers and immediate settlement for acquiring businesses.
