Crypto payments move into mainstream POS payments

Digital asset payments are edging closer to everyday commerce as Lydian launches a new application enabling cryptocurrency acceptance across Clover devices for crypto POS payments.

The move allows merchants using Clover hardware to offer customers a “Pay with Crypto” option at checkout, while continuing to receive settlement in local currency.

It marks the first fully integrated digital asset payments solution available to the global Clover merchant base.

Developed by Lydian, the application is distributed via the Clover marketplace, giving it immediate access to a sizeable installed base.

Clover, owned by Fiserv, has sold more than 4 million POS devices worldwide and serves around 700,000 merchant businesses. That reach gives Lydian a rare opportunity to scale crypto acceptance through existing merchant workflows rather than experimental pilots.

From Niche to Familiar Checkout Experience

The Lydian app allows merchants to accept payments from more than 300 digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT, both in-store and online.

For consumers, the process mirrors established payment behaviours such as tapping a card or scanning a QR code. For merchants, the experience is deliberately frictionless: no new hardware, no changes to existing POS flows and no exposure to digital asset price volatility.

Crucially, settlement is made in local fiat currency. Lydian manages conversion and liquidity in the background, shielding merchants from custody and treasury risks that have historically limited crypto acceptance.

The result is a model that borrows the user experience of traditional card payments while drawing on the efficiency benefits of blockchain-based settlement.

Stablecoins, Regulation and Timing

The announcement lands at a moment of accelerating interest in stablecoins as a medium for everyday payments.

Research from McKinsey suggests stablecoin usage has doubled over the past 18 months, driven by both consumers and institutions seeking faster, cheaper settlement.

At the same time, regulatory clarity is improving. Frameworks such as the United States’ GENIUS Act and Europe’s MiCA regulation are giving payment providers clearer parameters for integrating digital assets responsibly.

This combination of demand growth and regulatory definition is reshaping how crypto is perceived in commerce. Rather than a speculative asset class, stablecoins in particular are increasingly positioned as a payments rail.

Compliance Built Into the Stack

One of the persistent concerns around digital asset payments has been compliance. Lydian’s platform addresses this directly, screening every wallet in real time against sanctions lists, fraud databases and other risk indicators.

Transactions that trigger alerts are flagged for further review before approval, aligning crypto acceptance more closely with existing payments compliance standards.

By embedding these controls at infrastructure level, Lydian aims to reduce the operational burden on PSPs and merchants alike.

A Distribution Play with Global Implications

By launching through Clover, Lydian is effectively betting that crypto payments will scale not through specialist terminals, but through mainstream distribution.

If successful, the approach could normalise digital asset acceptance across everyday retail, turning what was once an edge-case payment method into a standard checkout option — quietly, and without asking merchants or consumers to relearn how payments work.