Shardeum’s PayFi Gambit: A Blockchain Play for Internet Payments Dominance

Move over, legacy payment rails—Shardeum just fired a shot across the bow with its PayFi push. The layer-1 blockchain aims to undercut traditional finance’s stranglehold on digital transactions, promising faster settlements and lower fees (because who enjoys paying 3% just to move their own money?).

While Visa and Mastercard tweak their reward programs, crypto-native solutions are quietly eating their lunch. PayFi’s launch could accelerate the flight from fiat payment processors—if it delivers on scalability without the usual blockchain trade-offs.

Another day, another ’finance revolution’—but this time, the tech might actually justify the hype. Just don’t tell the bankers.

TLDR

• Shardeum launches PayFi initiative to become the Internet’s default payments layer with transaction fees under $0.01
• The autoscaling blockchain supports both macro payments (remittances, payroll) and micro payments (AI transactions, tipping)
• Shardeum’s mainnet went live on May 5, 2025, currently supporting peer-to-peer transfers with smart contracts coming later
• The platform uses EVM compatibility and autoscaling architecture to handle real-time demand
• PayFi momentum grows across crypto with projects like Coinbase’s x402 protocol and BitGPT gaining investor interest

Shardeum announced its mission to drive crypto adoption through PayFi infrastructure on May 29, 2025. The autoscaling Layer 1 blockchain aims to solve Internet payment challenges with low-cost, native transactions.

The platform targets transaction fees as low as $0.01 or less than 1 Indian Rupee. Shardeum’s autoscaling architecture expands based on real-time demand while keeping costs down as user numbers grow.

Traditional blockchains like Bitcoin established decentralized payments but face adoption barriers. High fees and technical constraints limit real-world usage for everyday transactions.

Shardeum’s PayFi strategy focuses on consumer-first, globally scalable applications. The platform addresses both large and small payment needs across different sectors.

Macro and Micro Payment Solutions

The network supports macro payments including remittances and global payroll systems. E-commerce transactions, crowdfunding, and institutional settlements also fall under this category.

Micro payments represent an underserved market due to high transaction costs on existing networks. Shardeum enables AI-to-AI transactions, tipping systems, and IoT device payments.

Pay-per-use applications and real-time bill splitting become viable with sub-cent transaction fees. These use cases were previously too expensive on other blockchain networks.

The platform’s EVM compatibility allows developers to build familiar smart contract applications. This reduces barriers for projects migrating from other Ethereum-compatible chains.

Growing PayFi Market Interest

PayFi momentum builds across the crypto industry with multiple projects entering the space. Coinbase’s x402 protocol represents one major initiative in payment infrastructure.

BitGPT and other payment-focused chains attract continued investor interest. The market shows growing demand for crypto-native payment solutions.

Shardeum’s combination of autoscaling, sub-cent fees, and EVM compatibility creates a unique position. The platform differentiates itself in the competitive PayFi landscape.

The project emphasizes real-world adoption and inclusive infrastructure development. This consumer-first approach targets practical payment challenges rather than speculative use cases.

Current Network Status

Shardeum’s mainnet launched on May 5, 2025, marking a key milestone for the project. The network currently supports peer-to-peer SHM token transfers between users.

EVM smart contract capabilities are planned for a future release. This phased approach allows the team to ensure network stability before adding complex functionality.

The platform’s autoscaling technology adjusts network capacity based on transaction demand. This design prevents congestion issues that plague other blockchain networks during high usage periods.