Cryptocurrency has long promised to change the way the world thinks about money, yet for most people, it remains a speculative asset instead of a true medium of exchange. The missing link has been infrastructure. Essentially, how to make digital assets as simple and reliable to use as cash or credit. Shane Rodgers, CEO and founder of PDX Beam, is determined to fill that gap. By building a system that lets people spend crypto at the register while merchants receive instant cash settlements, Rodgers and his team are positioning PDX Beam as a bridge between blockchain and the real economy.
Bridging the Gap Between Crypto and Commerce
At the heart of PDX Beam is a deceptively simple idea: consumers should be able to walk into a store, scan a QR code, and pay with their crypto wallet. Today, the platform supports eight major digital assets—including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and stablecoins, with plans to expand to the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. For the consumer, the experience feels no different than making a contactless payment.
For merchants, the benefit is even greater. Instead of holding crypto or worrying about price swings, they are settled instantly in cash. Whether the customer pays in Bitcoin or stablecoin, the retailer sees a confirmed deposit from Beam’s banking partner, eliminating risk and volatility. This model solves the two major hurdles that have kept businesses from accepting crypto: price uncertainty and technical complexity. With Beam, merchants don’t need to understand blockchain, they just need to know they’re getting paid.
A Merchant-First Advantage
Rodgers designed PDX Beam with merchants in mind, knowing that adoption hinges on businesses finding real value. Traditional card networks typically charge around 3–4% once hidden fees are factored in. Beam charges a flat 1.5%, with no monthly costs, no equipment expenses, and integration that takes only a few days. Payments can settle instantly or via same-day ACH, and Beam absorbs the underlying transaction expenses.
This clear, low-cost model has already opened doors in diverse industries. Luxury retailers like Leon Diamonds in New York’s Diamond District have adopted Beam to serve crypto-paying clients, including celebrities. Education companies such as ApplyWave now enable international students to pay tuition at over 400 U.S. universities with crypto, while Florida-based AD Mortgage is allowing borrowers to make monthly payments the same way. The range of use cases, from jewelry to housing to higher education, demonstrates the scalability of Beam’s approach and its appeal to sectors traditionally burdened by high processing fees.
Owning the Infrastructure
Behind Beam’s smooth user experience lies a major strategic move: taking control of its own financial plumbing. Initially, the company relied on third-party fintech platforms like Dwolla to facilitate cash settlements. Now, Rodgers is in the process of acquiring a small bank in Virginia, giving PDX Beam direct access to the U.S. payments system.
Owning a bank transforms Beam from just a payments platform into a vertically integrated financial institution. It allows the company to manage ACH transfers, instant payments, and liquidity directly, cutting costs while ensuring full control over compliance and settlement. For merchants, this means even lower fees and faster payments. For Beam, it creates a powerful competitive advantage and a foundation for scaling globally.
The PDX Coin and Market Expansion
Supporting this ecosystem is the PDX Coin, Beam’s native token. Currently trading on a smaller European exchange, the coin is preparing for a major expansion with upcoming listings on BitMart, LBank, MEXC, Kraken, and Binance. Kraken, already a strategic partner in processing Beam’s crypto transactions, will play a pivotal role in bringing PDX Coin into mainstream markets.
The impact of these listings is expected to be significant. With a current market capitalization near $950 million, PDX Coin could quickly rise into the global top 75 cryptocurrencies once trading volume increases and CoinMarketCap completes its re-verification. For investors, this creates a liquidity event. For Beam, it reinforces the credibility of its ecosystem, tying together payments technology with a widely accessible digital asset.
Rodgers’ Journey from Oil and Gas to Crypto Payments
Rodgers’ entry into fintech came from an unlikely background. A banker by training and later an oil and gas executive, he first encountered Bitcoin in 2014 through a casual meeting in Beverly Hills. Fascinated by its potential, he began watching the space more closely. By early 2018, as energy markets struggled and cryptocurrency was booming, he realized there was an opportunity to apply his financial background to blockchain.
The initial concept was an asset-backed token linked to oil and gas, but the lack of a reliable payments infrastructure soon shifted his focus. Rodgers saw that for crypto to be real money, it needed a practical, user-friendly way to be spent. That realization sparked the creation of PDX Beam. Unlike many blockchain startups that pursued venture funding, Rodgers self-financed the project alongside a group of private investors. That independence has allowed Beam to stay lean, merchant-driven, and resilient, qualities that Rodgers views as critical in a volatile industry.
Protecting the Edge
Innovation in fintech is only as valuable as its defensibility. To safeguard its position, PDX Beam has invested heavily in intellectual property protection, working with global law firms to secure patents and trademarks around its proprietary settlement process. Rodgers believes this combination of unique technology and scalability positions Beam for strong long-term growth. Analysts have suggested that once revenue milestones are reached, the company’s valuation could multiply many times over.
Making Crypto Real
For many people, cryptocurrency still feels abstract, an investment to hold rather than money to spend. PDX Beam is changing that by making it as easy to use Bitcoin for groceries or rent as it is to swipe a credit card. By focusing on merchant economics, controlling its own infrastructure, and tying it all together with the PDX Coin, the company is making crypto practical, usable, and real.
Rodgers sums it up with the company’s motto: turning crypto into currency. If his vision plays out, PDX Beam could become the missing link that finally brings digital assets into everyday life.
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