What happened: SQRIL, the leading scan-to-pay QR code API for crypto apps and neobanks, has officially announced its expansion into Central Asia, specifically entering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The company is positioning its stablecoin-to-QR code technology as a superior alternative to traditional crypto and stablecoin debit/credit cards by leveraging local instant payment rails.
Why it matters: This is a major win for crypto utility in emerging markets. While legacy card networks charge roughly 3% in fees and suffer from low merchant acceptance (15%), SQRIL's solution slashes fees to under 1% and taps into the massive 85% merchant adoption rate of QR codes. This makes using stablecoins for everyday shopping significantly cheaper and more accessible than using traditional crypto cards.
