'Corporate coins could take payments activity away from banks and the traditional financial system.

Some of the biggest merchants are exploring how to issue or use stablecoins, potentially shifting the high volumes of cash and card transactions that they handle outside the traditional financial system and saving them billions of dollars in fees.

Walmart WMT -0.23%decrease; red down pointing triangle

, Amazon.com and other multinational giants have recently explored whether to issue their own stablecoins in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.

Expedia Group and other large companies such as airlines have also discussed potential efforts to issue stablecoins, some of the people said.

A move to launch a payments system by Walmart or Amazon AMZN -0.29%decrease; red down pointing triangle that bypasses the traditional payments system would send shivers through the nation’s banks.'