The Power of Peer-to-Peer Payments: Bringing Crypto Back to Its Roots

When Bitcoin was first introduced in 2008, its whitepaper carried a revolutionary vision: a "peer-to-peer electronic cash system." At its core, cryptocurrency was meant to allow individuals to transact directly with one another, without relying on banks, card issuers, or financial intermediaries. It was about freedom, decentralisation, and control over your own money.

Fast forward to today, and while the crypto industry has grown into a $2.8 trillion global market, the original peer-to-peer (P2P) promise has been somewhat lost. Most people don’t actually use their crypto for payments. And those who do are often forced to rely on third-party systems like crypto debit cards, which convert crypto to fiat before it reaches the merchant. That’s not truly spending crypto — it’s simply selling it in disguise.

What Are Peer-to-Peer Payments?

Peer-to-peer payments (P2P) mean exactly what they sound like: sending digital currency directly from one person to another without an intermediary. It’s how Bitcoin was designed to work. With P2P, there are no banks to approve the transaction, no delays, no hidden fees, and no one holding your funds.

Unlike traditional finance, where every transaction is routed through a central authority, P2P payments run on blockchain networks where users have full control over their assets. The sender initiates a transfer, the blockchain verifies it, and the recipient receives the funds — all without a middleman.

This not only makes transactions faster and cheaper but also enables financial inclusion for the billions who remain unbanked around the world. All you need is internet access and a crypto wallet.

Why Most Crypto Payments Aren’t Truly P2P

Despite the vision, most "crypto payments" today don’t meet the true definition of peer-to-peer. When you pay with a crypto debit card, for example, your crypto is converted into fiat behind the scenes and sent through traditional payment networks like Visa or Mastercard.

That means:

• The merchant receives fiat, not crypto.
• The transaction goes through banks or payment processors.
• The crypto holder often pays conversion and processing fees.

This setup undermines the very foundation of decentralised currency. You’re still relying on the same systems crypto was built to bypass.

How THAT Is Making P2P Payments a Reality

THAT is bringing crypto back to its roots by enabling true peer-to-peer payments. Built as a natively spendable cryptocurrency, THAT allows users to send, spend, and receive crypto without any third-party conversions or intermediaries.

When a customer pays with THAT, the merchant receives THAT tokens directly to their wallet. They can choose to hold the crypto or off-ramp it to fiat when they decide — giving them full control over their funds.

This is crypto the way it was meant to be: fast, direct, and decentralised.

As the world moves toward a new era of digital payments, THAT is making sure we don’t forget where it all started. Peer-to-peer isn’t just a feature — it’s the future.