Platform operators invest millions in building networks that connect people and businesses. But they can lose substantial value through transaction leakage. When suppliers use wire transfers instead of platform payment systems, or creators withdraw funds through third-party tools, the platform operator loses both fee revenue and valuable transaction data. These off-platform activities also reduce user engagement and strengthen competitors rather than the platform itself.
What is the value of transactions happening outside of your network? What revenue opportunities are being lost? How much strength is your ecosystem giving away?
Imagining the Possibilities With Payment Processing Models
Across business models, preventing transaction leak creates huge possibilities. To help, the next few Bastion blog posts will examine potentialities across model types, starting with a couple of theoretical B2C examples.
Since the word “Disney” is virtually synonymous with family fun and entertainment magic, the first theoretical example will focus on this giant.
When someone holds a Disney Visa Credit Card, they can earn Disney Rewards Dollars (each equal to $1) that can be spent at most U.S. Disney locations, including Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and more. These rewards can be used to pay for branded products, dining, and experiences. While cardholders are within a Disney park or ship, Disney can therefore easily track spending through branded Visa usage and Reward Dollars redemptions.
However, once a cardholder leaves the Disney environment, perhaps to dine at a nearby restaurant, Disney Rewards Dollars can no longer be used. This creates friction for consumers and limits Disney’s ability to track off-property spending since purchases made with non-Disney payment methods fall outside its data ecosystem. Limited external redemption opportunities exist, such as using Rewards Dollars toward online AMC Theatres ticket purchases for Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, or Marvel films, but these options remain few.
A Disney-branded stablecoin, by contrast, would extend the brand’s reach beyond its own ecosystem. This digital currency could be used wherever stablecoins are accepted, turning Disney’s closed-loop rewards structure into an open-loop system.
Stablecoin transactions occur outside traditional banking rails, eliminating multiple layers of third-party fees. Businesses instead control their own payment infrastructure, capturing more value within their ecosystem, all while maintaining brand visibility. Using our Disney example, every instance of a consumer spending through a Disney stablecoin would also reinforce brand affinity and recognition.
Moreover, blockchain-based transactions could provide Disney with richer, more accurate insights than traditional loyalty programs, which often fragment across multiple consumer accounts and email addresses. Disney could also leverage programmable discounts and targeted incentives to encourage specific spending behaviors, deepen engagement, and strengthen its brand’s digital presence across both physical and virtual worlds.
Money kept within the Disney ecosystem could be retained by the enterprise, returned to merchants, or distributed based upon a set percentage. Additional discounts could further incentivize spending while enabling Disney to both encourage and monitor consumer activity.
These transactions occur seamlessly without requiring consumers to understand the underlying technology. The “plumbing” works automatically, processing payments almost instantly and eliminating the need for complicated steps. From the consumer’s perspective, it’s as simple as knowing where to click, much like sending an email.
Comparable possibilities could be found in the sports world. Franchises such as the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Dodgers, or Kansas City Chiefs could expand their closed-loop rewards programs into open ecosystems powered by branded stablecoins. Such systems would allow teams to demonstrate how much fans spend with companies advertising in their arenas or stadiums, encouraging further advertiser investments. The data-rich environment would also reveal where fans spend after leaving the venue, insights that could help teams form strategic partnerships with restaurants, apparel brands, breweries, and other fan-favorite businesses.
A B2C final example comes from Harley-Davidson enthusiasts. As of 2025, approximately 343 million adults live in the United States and, according to Pew Research, about 32% have a tattoo and 22% have more than one. The third most popular tattoo design is the Harley-Davidson logo or a related brand symbol. While the company couldn’t know how many people have one of their tattoos and cannot directly monetize them, a Harley-Davidson stablecoin could transform that visible loyalty into measurable engagement. By adopting such a system, the company could gain valuable insights into spending behaviors and further reward its most dedicated fans through a branded digital currency ecosystem.
Additional Business Models to Consider
Here are examples of financial evolutions, ones that can demonstrate the possibilities across business models.
Corporation to Creator Model
Fortnite, an enormously popular video game by Epic Games, is a giant in the video game industry. More than 110 million monthly active users enjoyed the game in 2025 with 650 million global users registered to play according to DemandSage figures. To date, Fortnite has brought in more than $40 billion in lifetime revenue.
Recognizing the role of creators in this massive success, in Fortnite’s 2024 review, they note a payout to creators of $352 million, an increase of eleven percent with year-over-year March through December comparisons in 2023 and 2024. Once a creator reaches a minimum of $100 in owed revenue, the creator becomes eligible for a monthly payout based on revenue generation minus fees.
This demonstrates a closed loop system with extraordinary potential if opened up across transaction types, including how users engage with the game, and expanding to an open loop system with a branded stablecoin.
B2B Network Model
Shopify provides e-commerce tools to merchants and integrates payments through Shopify Payments with features like Shopify Balance for merchant banking.
This allows for in-network money flows: consumers pay merchants via the platform, merchants can then transfer funds to employees or suppliers within the ecosystem, and employees might spend back through connected consumer channels. By keeping transactions internal, Shopify reduces processing fees, enhances visibility over operations, and boosts revenue through embedded finance, all while leveraging its industry-specific expertise in e-commerce. This model is particularly effective for scaling B2B networks where merchants need end-to-end control over finances.
A Shopify stablecoin would allow this vertical platform to provide its merchants with valuable insights into what people shop for after leaving their stores. This, in turn, can allow these merchants to supplement their stores with relevant goods, keeping more of the sales for themselves, and strengthen Shopify as the B2B platform of choice for these merchants.
Business Supplier Relationships
Drygen Group summarizes the power of Amazon, including how half of product services online today start on that platform with 44% of ecommerce sales taking place there. An impressive 62% of households in the United States have an Amazon Prime membership, encompassing more than 100 million accounts. When looking at public companies, more than 21 of them disclose how at least 10% of their total revenue is generated through Amazon.
Leveraging information from seven different sources, Capital One Shopping noted how Amazon offers products both directly and through third-party sellers; as of July 2025, Amazon included 3.6 million active sellers with 61% of sales going through third-party sellers. About half of them use Amazon fulfillment to ship products to customers. This system is primed to benefit from a branded stablecoin where bank rails and fees are further minimized.
Stay With Us
Bastion will explore more models and practical examples of how platforms can retain value by keeping transactions in-network.