- During the 2026 Winter Olympics, travelers at airports in Milan, Rome and Venice can receive immediate VAT refunds in $USDC on Polygon.
- The rollout, supported by Global Blue and Shift4, accelerates digital refunds and accelerates cross-border settlement.
Polygon provides instant value added tax (VAT) refunds in USD Coin ($USDC) for international travelers at Italian airports during the 2026 Winter Olympics. The system makes possible fast, stablecoin-based payouts at locations such as Milan, Rome and Venice airports using Polygon’s blockchain rails.
The package is available in February and is offered at refund points at the airports in Milan, Rome and Venice. Travelers who select this option will receive their refund digitally, eliminating wait times associated with international processing, banking hours and cross-border ticket refunds. The service focuses on the standard duty-free shopping workflow used by non-EU visitors who validate forms upon departure and then collect refunds through approved providers.
Polygon provides immediate tax refunds $USDC at Italian airports during the 2026 Winter Olympics!
A practical example of stablecoins providing real-world utility for global users. https://t.co/JzOmsMGVCd
— Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) February 12, 2026
Airport guidelines for VAT refunds in Italy generally require documentation such as a Tax Free form, passport and boarding pass, and only residents of non-EU countries are eligible. These steps remain part of the process at the participating airports.
Global Blue, a tax-free shopping and refund provider, and Shift4, a payments company, are the operating partners powering the airport implementation. Under the model, the blockchain layer runs in the background, while the customer-facing steps remain linked to existing refund counters and compliance checks.
Recently, Polygon proposed PIP-82, a plan to recycle up to $1 million in Polygon PoS base gas fees for eligible agentic trading and x402 transactions. CNF noted that everything is unused $POL would be sent to the burn collector and the program would end once the entire $1 million is recycled or on December 31, 2026.
How Polygon’s airport refunds rollout works
PolygonThe city’s role is to provide the settlement rail $USDC payouts so that refunds can be issued quickly once eligibility is confirmed. Participating locations include airports linked to the Milan region, as well as hubs serving Rome and Venice, which are important entry and exit points for winter tourism in Italy.
The timing coincides with increased international travel during the ongoing XXV Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Organizers expect higher numbers of passengers and greater shopping activity, and refund queues at airports are a recurring problem for travelers. In that context, stablecoin settlements are an alternative to slower repayment methods.
However, the news does not disclose transaction numbers, compensation arrangements or revenue terms. Still, the announcement ties Polygon’s payments application to established travel retail infrastructure through Global Blue’s duty-free network and Shift4’s payment processing systems.
The commitment contributes to others stable currency programs that use $USDC for transfers. Previously we discussed that Billon has launched an on-chain lending protocol on Polygon, specifically designed for tokenized asset lending rather than a general DeFi money market. CNF added that the system uses isolated credit pools and published risk parameters to link yield-bearing tokenized RWAs to on-chain credit markets.
Following the Polygon news, the $POL price increased approx 5.8% until around $0.102 on the 24-hour chart. This move was supported by stable trading volume throughout the session.