🎙️ Stable’s USDT Native Vision Payments, Infrastructure, Adoption

LBank_Exchange avatar
LBank.com
@LBank_ExchangeJan 30, 2026

The Spaces features host Muha in conversation with Brian Miller, CEO of Stable, on building a USD₮-native Layer-1 designed for real-time, low-cost digital payments. Brian outlines Stable’s mission to fix broken payment rails—slow settlement, high fees, opacity, and misaligned incentives—and explains why general-purpose blockchains fail payments’ instant-finality requirements. Stable designates USDT as the native gas token to eliminate volatile gas, swaps, and “dust” friction, and introduces gas-free peer-to-peer transfers in the forthcoming Stable Pay app for remittances and invoices. Technically, Stable combines Delegated Proof of Stake with a StableBFT protocol to achieve subsecond finality and thousands of TPS, while maintaining full EVM compatibility. The Stable token serves governance via the Stable Foundation (grants, votes, education), distinct from USDT’s role as gas. On compliance, the team balances decentralization with regulatory comfort, collaborating on confidentiality features and engaging with governments. Partnerships with Bitfinex/Tether, PayPal Ventures (enabling PYUSD on Stable), Franklin Templeton, and DeFi projects (e.g., UBIT, DODO) guide strategy and distribution. Looking ahead, the v1.2 upgrade (early February) enhances indexers and developer experience, with guaranteed block space and confidential transfers planned. Brian’s takeaway: robust infrastructure will make stablecoins part of everyday payments globally.

Stable: USDt‑native payments L1 — Twitter Spaces Summary

Speakers and context

  • Host: Muha (LBank). Facilitates the discussion, community prompts, and roadmap questions.
  • Guest: Brian Miller (CEO, Stable). Formerly led the EOS VC venture program at Block.one; background in venture capital and private equity in New York and Hong Kong.

Mission and origin

  • Problem framing (Brian): Existing payment rails—both traditional (e.g., SWIFT/wires) and on general‑purpose blockchains—are misaligned for payments: slow settlement, high/variable fees, opacity about transfer status, and misaligned incentives among intermediaries.
  • Rationale for a dedicated L1: General‑purpose chains are optimized for diverse use cases (asset transfer, data security), not the speed/finality profile payments demand. Stable was conceived to rebuild payments rails from the ground up around stablecoins, prioritizing instant finality, predictability, visibility, and UX.

What Stable Chain is and why USDt as native gas matters

  • USDt as native gas: Stable designates USDt as the chain’s base gas token at the protocol level. Fees are charged in USDt, eliminating the need to hold or swap into a volatile native token at send‑time.
  • User benefit: If a user receives 100 USDt, they can send $50 immediately without first acquiring a separate gas token; fees are small, predictable, and USD‑denominated.
  • Developer benefit: Removes UX friction and edge cases around “dust” balances and gas procurement, especially for first‑time users and cross‑border recipients.

Adoption lens: Why a payments‑first design accelerates mainstream use

  • Enterprise validation: Cites JPM Coin as proof that large institutions recognize blockchain’s auditability, security, and settlement advantages.
  • Regulatory tailwinds: Notes emerging US stablecoin frameworks that increase issuer and end‑user comfort; references a newly launched, US‑based, regulated USD stablecoin announced this week (as cited in the conversation).
  • Net effect for users: Banking sector adoption simplifies on‑ramping and makes stablecoin payments more practical in daily life.

Gas‑free P2P transfers (Stable Pay) and early use cases

  • Feature: Gas‑free peer‑to‑peer USDt transfers within Stable’s mobile application (referred to as Stable Pay/Stable Payout during the talk) rolling out imminently.
  • Scope and safeguards: Designed with sybil resistance and eligibility constraints to ensure security and prevent abuse while keeping UX simple.
  • Initial focus:
    • Retail: Cross‑border remittances, person‑to‑person transfers, invoice payments—removing complexity around fees and gas for newcomers.
    • Enterprise: Treasury management and payment processing at internet speed, enabled by sub‑second finality and predictable costs.

Performance architecture and consensus

  • Throughput and finality: Targets sub‑second finality and thousands of transactions per second with sustained performance at scale.
  • Consensus: Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) with the StableBFT protocol to balance high throughput with security.
  • EVM compatibility: Full EVM support preserves developer familiarity and simplifies porting of existing Solidity‑based applications.
  • Upcoming technical features: Dedicated block space and confidentiality/privacy enhancements to meet institutional requirements while remaining compliant.

Partnerships and strategic influence

  • Tether/Bitfinex: Early, close collaboration aligned around USDt utility, including gas‑free P2P USDt transfers in Stable Pay; strategic input helped shape product direction.
  • PayPal Ventures: Investor and integration partner; PYUSD support on Stable announced, aligning with established payments leaders.
  • Franklin Templeton and others: Backing from traditional finance institutions strengthens market credibility and accelerates enterprise adoption.
  • DeFi ecosystem: Recent announcements include integrations with UBIT, DODO, and others, with an emphasis on building and shipping real functionality post‑announcement.

Token roles: Stable token vs. USDt

  • USDt: The network’s native gas token—used to pay transaction fees. Chosen for stability, liquidity, and ubiquity in stablecoin transactions.
  • Stable token: Governance and ecosystem utility token issued by the Stable Foundation.
    • Governance: Voting on protocol enhancements and key parameters.
    • Ecosystem growth: Grants, educational initiatives, and programs that expand accessibility and developer adoption.
    • Long‑term stewardship: Mechanism for the community to influence network health, strategy, and resource allocation.

Regulation and compliance posture

  • Balanced approach: Continuous research and careful implementation to align decentralization with compliance expectations in regulated markets.
  • Privacy with compliance: Confidential transfer features will be developed in consultation with relevant teams and regulators to ensure regulatory comfort while meeting institutional privacy needs.
  • Participation model: Aim for permissionless participation with the governance framework enabling responsible evolution as regulatory landscapes develop.

Developer experience and tooling

  • DX priorities: User‑friendly APIs, robust SDKs, improved indexing and lifecycle management to streamline DApp development and operations.
  • EVM portability: One‑click or minimal‑effort porting of existing Ethereum‑based applications; developers can market lower fees, faster finality, and simpler UX to end users.
  • Incentives and support: Foundation grants and ecosystem programs to attract and retain builders, with a focus on payments, DeFi, and enterprise use cases.

Roadmap: 2026 and beyond

  • Near‑term (early 2026):
    • Version 1.2 upgrade (early February):
      • USDt fully operational as native gas across the network.
      • Improvements to indexing and “staking lifecycle” processes, further enhancing developer operations.
  • Subsequent upgrades:
    • Dedicated/guaranteed block space to ensure performance for critical payment flows.
    • Confidential transfers to unlock institutional demand while respecting compliance needs.
    • Continued rollouts tied to existing and new ecosystem partnerships.
  • Product: Stable Pay launch with gas‑free P2P USDt transfers, plus expanded payment features announced progressively.

Community profile

  • Brian’s description: Smart, driven, capable, determined, and passionate—early adopters who recognized pain points on other chains and moved to a better payments‑optimized network. Strong presence at events and growing global base.

Key takeaways and highlights

  • Payments‑first blockchain: Stable is a purpose‑built L1 for money movement, not a general‑purpose chain retrofitted for payments.
  • USDt as gas: Predictable USD‑denominated fees and no need for a separate, volatile gas token—major UX unlock for mainstream and cross‑border users.
  • Gas‑free P2P: Stable Pay delivers fee‑less USDt transfers in‑app for eligible flows, addressing the onboarding gap and enabling everyday money movement.
  • Performance and compliance: Sub‑second finality, high TPS with StableBFT and DPoS, plus a roadmap that adds dedicated block space and compliant confidentiality.
  • Developer‑ready: Full EVM compatibility, streamlined SDKs/APIs, indexing improvements—easy porting and better operational ergonomics.
  • Serious partners: Strategic alignment with Tether/Bitfinex, PayPal Ventures (PYUSD support), Franklin Templeton, and DeFi integrations—signals both crypto‑native and TradFi traction.
  • Governance clarity: USDt for gas; Stable token for governance, grants, and ecosystem growth via the Stable Foundation.
  • Regulatory alignment: Building privacy features in consultation with regulators and ecosystem experts to support institutional adoption without compromising compliance.

Closing notes

  • Calls to action: Follow Stable’s official account for early access and announcements; LBank community support acknowledged.
  • Strategic vision (Brian): Stablecoins will become part of everyday financial infrastructure once fragmentation and UX friction are removed. Stable’s role is to make money flow as easily, seamlessly, and securely as the internet—putting payments UX first and rebuilding the stack to serve it.