How can crypto help your business?

Cryptocurrency is now more than ever part of the business as one of the most promising tools. Maybe you’re running a small e-commerce shop or a multinational corporation, and by adopting crypto you can unlock new opportunities, reduce costs, and provide a competitive edge.

The benefits of crypto in business

Beyond payments, crypto opens doors to tokenized investment and alternative liquidity solutions. Your business can use stablecoins or other digital assets to diversify your holdings and manage cash flow more efficiently. Naturally, you’ll want Bitcoin and Ethereum on your list, but what about new crypto tokens? According to NewCryptoCurrency, you can find new crypto assets to invest in. Take a look at the offers, see what tokens stand for, and make an informed decision whether they’re good for your business or not.

Crypto payments can attract tech-savvy customers who prefer digital transactions over traditional banking methods. These consumers often have disposable income and appreciate businesses that embrace innovation. A recent survey found that 85% of merchants view crypto payments as a way to reach new customers, and 77% cite lower transaction fees as a key reason for adoption.

Integrating crypto payments can help your company build familiarity with blockchain technology, positioning it for future developments like central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). This exposure can lead to new revenue streams and efficiencies in other areas of the business.

Many companies are already engaging with crypto, and having the capability to send and receive digital payments can facilitate smoother interactions with vendors, suppliers, and business partners. Once you adopt crypto, your business can remain competitive and adaptable in an increasingly digital economy.

Enabling fast and transparent transactions

Unlike traditional banking, which often involves delays and high fees, crypto allows for real-time, low-cost transactions. Smart contracts and programmable money can automate payments, streamline revenue-sharing, and improve financial transparency.

Besides transactions, crypto has other benefits to offer, such as faster and more secure money transfers, greater control over capital, and improved risk management for digital investments.

Also, crypto can act as a hedge against inflation. While volatility is a factor, some assets have seen long-term appreciation, which made them an attractive alternative to holding large cash reserves.

Payment options

You can leverage crypto in different ways. While investing in digital assets is a long-term strategy, using crypto for daily operations requires careful planning and compliance with regulatory, accounting, and tax requirements.

There are two main approaches to handling crypto transactions: hands-off and self-custody.

In hands-off, your business can use third-party payment processors to convert crypto into fiat industry, and by doing so avoid direct exposure to volatility.

Some businesses treat crypto like a hot potato—using it just long enough to get paid before quickly converting it back to traditional money. Instead of holding digital assets themselves, they bring in a third-party service provider to do the heavy lifting. This way, they can accept or send payments in crypto without ever actually handling it. Think of it as hiring a translator: the business speaks fiat, the customer speaks crypto, and the service provider bridges the gap without crypto ever landing on the company’s financial statements.

This hands-off method is an easy on-ramp into the world of digital assets. It allows businesses to dip their toes into crypto waters without making big changes to their internal operations. Plus, it opens the doors to a wider audience—particularly customers who prefer using digital currencies. Since the third-party provider takes care of all the technical details, from conversions to compliance, companies can focus on what they do best—selling products or services.

However, if a company decides to keep up the business without the middleman and enable the use of crypto in their transactions, that is a self-custody approach. That means companies that want greater control over their crypto holdings can manage their own wallets. This particular approach requires advanced security measures and regulatory compliance.

The role of digital wallets

To manage crypto effectively, you need a structured wallet system. Are you familiar with the difference between hot and cold wallets? Well, long story short, hot ones are used for daily transactions and operational needs, while cold secure storage for long-term holdings.

Stablecoins can also be used to mitigate price volatility while retaining the benefits of digital transactions.

Regulatory and security considerations

No matter what kind of company you own, a small family business or a large corporation, you still need to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) regulations. Also, working with reputable exchanges and service providers can help mitigate risks related to illicit transactions.

Second-layer protocols and scalability

New blockchain technology is in town and it’s called second-layer protocols. With it, your transactions will be faster and cheaper. These innovations could soon rival traditional payment systems since they offer businesses a more efficient way to handle transactions. But what are they, really?

Think of them as express lanes built on top of existing blockchain networks, designed to make transactions lightning-fast and way cheaper. These tech upgrades are evolving at breakneck speed and could soon give traditional payment systems a serious run for their money–maybe even outshining them altogether. Instead of waiting around for slow, costly transactions to process on the blockchain, second-layer solutions bundle up smaller transactions, speeding up the entire process while keeping fees low.

You’ve probably already encountered these systems in action, especially in gaming or subscription-based platforms, where users can make quick microtransactions for upgrades or premium features. But for businesses, there’s a catch: transactions aren’t recorded on the blockchain right away. Instead, they get grouped and settled later, which leaves a small window where a bad actor could try to manipulate things. Despite this, the benefits are clear—without second-layer solutions, paying for something as small as a cup of coffee in crypto could cost more in fees than the coffee itself.

Tax and accounting implications

First off, timing is everything. Companies must document exactly when they receive crypto and its value at that moment. Why? Because that’s what determines the tax basis, which will come in handy later when the crypto is used, sold, or swapped for another digital asset or good old-fashioned fiat currency. Having a clear and consistent system for tracking this information is a must–especially if the IRS or any other tax authority comes knocking for an audit.

Then there’s the tax side of things. Unlike fiat payments, crypto transactions require extra attention to ensure compliance with sales tax, VAT, GST, and other indirect taxes. Most governments still demand tax payments in fiat, so companies need to have solid documentation and a smooth process to convert and remit the necessary amounts properly. Also, if the accounting team is using an embedded mark-to-market derivative to track crypto’s fluctuating value, they should be aware that its tax treatment might be a little murky. In short, staying ahead of crypto tax obligations means keeping meticulous records and having a well-thought-out plan–because when it comes to taxes, there’s no room for surprises!

Crypto in your business

Adopting crypto can give significant advantages to your business, from expanding customer reach to improving financial operations. Of course, there will always be some challenges along the way, such as regulatory compliance and volatility, but the benefits make it worth exploring.