TL;DR
- Bermuda selected WalletConnect to expand crypto payments, with Premier Tickets expected to become the first participating merchant in the second quarter of 2027. Islandwide adoption remains a future objective.
- WalletConnect Pay supports Stellar through LOBSTR. The ticketing integration would transfer funds directly from customers to organizers without PTIX holding payments.
- Merchant fees and adoption remain unresolved. Penrose Partners will assist onboarding as Bermuda advances its broader onchain economy strategy.
Bermuda has selected WalletConnect to expand cryptocurrency payments among local merchants, with the first commercial deployment scheduled for 2027. In an official announcement, Stellar confirmed expanded support for its blockchain and the introduction of WalletConnect Pay for direct merchant transactions. The initiative builds on Bermuda’s ambition to develop a fully onchain economy, using WalletConnect’s payment infrastructure, but islandwide merchant adoption remains a goal rather than an accomplished rollout.
At #Meridian2026, @WalletConnect announced expanded support for Stellar and our partnership with Bermuda.
WalletConnect Pay now enables customers to pay merchants directly from Stellar wallets,
W/ @FireblocksHQ, @utila_io, @thisisarculus, and @lobstr.https://t.co/SP5ySMBg2K
— Stellar | Meridian Oct 28-29 (@StellarOrg) October 29, 2026
WalletConnect Pay Brings Stellar Infrastructure to Bermuda’s Merchant Network
Premier Tickets, known as PTIX, is expected to become the first participating merchant in the second quarter of 2027. Customers would purchase event tickets using digital assets, sending funds directly from their own wallets to event organizers. PTIX would not take custody of those payments, allowing independent organizers to receive transactions through one integration. WalletConnect says settlement could occur within seconds.
The initiative addresses a practical challenge for Bermuda’s merchants: card processing expenses. According to the Stellar Development Foundation, businesses typically face transaction fees of 3% to 5%, while effective costs can reach 10% in certain categories. Officials have not disclosed the fees that merchants would pay through the planned crypto system. Consequently, any savings remain an objective rather than a verified outcome.
WalletConnect Pay now supports transactions on Stellar, initially through LOBSTR, a wallet developed by Ultra Stellar. The wider connectivity expansion also includes support from Fireblocks, Utila and Arculus. That existing technical capability should not be confused with the planned PTIX launch. The announcement does not establish that every merchant in Bermuda already accepts payments through the network.
Bermuda’s government announced its broader onchain strategy in January with backing from Circle and Coinbase. In May, Premier David Burt discussed a proposed USDC airdrop alongside merchant onboarding efforts, emphasizing the need for places where recipients could spend digital assets. Stellar was also selected to support the transition of important payments and financial services to blockchain infrastructure.
Penrose Partners, a Bermuda advisory firm, will assist with merchant onboarding and local education, while additional businesses are expected to follow PTIX. The program connects existing wallet infrastructure with an identifiable commercial use case rather than promising immediate universal acceptance. Its impact will depend on actual merchant participation, pricing, and how smoothly customers can complete purchases when the first integration goes live. For now, the agreement defines a concrete next step toward wider crypto payment usage across the island.
