Decentralised finance (DeFi) is a system of financial services that runs on public blockchains instead of through banks and regulated intermediaries.

This article walks through what on-chain and off-chain transactions are, how they work, where each one is the right fit, and what businesses should think about before picking a side.

Stablecoin smart contracts let a business send a dollar-equivalent payment that settles in minutes, splits across recipients on its own, or releases only when delivery is confirmed.

Global marketplaces often need to pay many people in multiple countries, which can be slow and expensive. Stablecoin payments can make this easier. They allow people to send cross-border payouts within minutes, with clearer fees and more predictable costs.