Payment Processors Keep Ghosting You? Here's How to Ghost Them Back 👻

Welcome to Advance Genie, the 2x per-month newsletter that helps operators in highly stigmatized industries find alternative financing methods.

Stripe won't touch you.
PayPal freezes your account.
Traditional payment processors label you "high-risk" and slam the door.

But something just changed that could fix all of this.

On July 18, 2025, President has signed the GENIUS Act into law. 

This is the first federal legislation that creates a regulated framework for stablecoins in the United States.

Here's why this matters for your business and how to use it.

Regulated Stablecoins Are Now Legal Money

The GENIUS Act changes everything about digital payments in America.

Payment stablecoins are now officially recognized as legitimate payment methods, backed by reserves in the U.S. Treasuries and cash. 

A payment stablecoin issued by a permitted issuer is not securities under federal securities laws or a commodity under the Commodity Exchange Act.

This means they're not speculative crypto. 

They're digital dollars with legal backing.

Only permitted payment stablecoin issuers (PPSIs) can issue these regulated stablecoins, and they must maintain reserves on a 1:1 basis with regular public reporting.

The scale is massive. 

Stablecoins already process approximately $800 billion in monthly transactions. Total transfer volume hit $27.6 trillion last year, surpassing the combined volume of Visa and Mastercard transactions in 2024.

For comparison, that's more than the entire traditional payment processing industry.

Your "High-Risk" Business Can Now Accept Digital Dollars

Traditional payment processors discriminate against cannabis, adult wellness, gaming, and other frontier industries.

Regulated stablecoins don't.

The GENIUS Act requires stablecoin issuers to have anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance programs, but it doesn't create industry blacklists like traditional processors do.

Stablecoins offer 24/7 transactions, lower fees for cross-border payments, and the ability to program money through smart contracts. 

Transaction fees have dropped to an average of 2.5% fees, compared to 5% in traditional banking for remittances.

The compliance requirements are very clear.

All stablecoin issuers must possess the technical capability to seize, freeze, or burn payment stablecoins when legally required and must comply with lawful orders.

This creates trust with regulators while giving you payment processing access.

Real Cannabis Companies Are Already Using Bitcoin Payments

While we wait for regulated stablecoins to roll out fully, cannabis companies aren't sitting around.

Strainly, a hemp and cannabis genetics marketplace, has been using Bitcoin payments since 2016. They serve the legal hemp industry - seeds, clones, pollen, and equipment - but still face financial exclusion despite federal legality.

Here's how they solved it:

Strainly integrated BTCPay Server, an open-source Bitcoin payment processor, to create a peer-to-peer marketplace where vendors control their own wallets.

When customers pay, Bitcoin goes directly to the seller's wallet - no intermediary holding funds.

The results speak for themselves. 

Strainly processes 600-800 invoices monthly with an 80% settlement rate.

Users can pay each other worldwide by simply hitting the "Pay order" button within the transaction workflow.

Some users, including those with no prior Bitcoin experience, now only accept using their integrated system as a payment method.

Stablecoins + Bitcoin = Complete Payment Freedom

Smart frontier businesses will use both approaches.

Bitcoin payments work right now. BTCPay Server integration takes about an hour to set up on a dedicated VPS and enables Lightning payments to minimize fees.

Regulated stablecoins provide mainstream legitimacy and easier onboarding for customers who want something closer to traditional payments.

The GENIUS Act provides a three years transition period before certain obligations become effective, but the regulatory framework is now clear. 

Over 500 million wallet addresses globally show growing user adoption, with emerging markets leading growth by 30% year-over-year.

Business-to-business stablecoin transactions already account for $36 billion in annual run rate. 

Companies in frontier industries can now access this growing infrastructure 🎉

Your Next Steps to Break Free from Processor Discrimination

Start with Bitcoin payments while preparing for stablecoins.

Phase 1: Immediate Bitcoin Integration
Start accepting Bitcoin payments today. The learning curve is minimal, setup takes an hour, and you'll own your entire payment stack.

Phase 2: Stablecoin Preparation
Monitor which companies become permitted payment stablecoin issuers under the GENIUS Act. 

Circle (USDC) and PayPal are likely early candidates given their existing compliance infrastructure.

Phase 3: Dual Payment Strategy
Offer both Bitcoin for privacy-conscious customers and regulated stablecoins for mainstream users who want familiar dollar-denominated payments.

Payment processors terminate services with very short notice, but Bitcoin and stablecoins are permissionless and censorship-resistant.

The payment revolution is here. 

The question is whether you'll lead it or get left behind?

How We Can Help:

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