Visa will become global with the Stablecoin Card deployment, enabling crypto spending for more than 150 million merchants.
Visa makes Stablecoin payments seamless in its 150m store
Visa and Bridge launched a Stablecoin-related card on Tuesday that will allow consumers to use their digital assets for their daily purchases. The card allows payments in stubcoin at locations of over 150 million global merchants who accept visas, aiming to use digital assets as seamlessly as traditional currencies. According to the company:
Cardholders can make daily purchases from Stablecoin Balance at the location of merchants accepting visas.
“For example, if a Colombian customer buys a store locally and pays the merchant using a valid visa card, the bridge can deduct the necessary funds from the customer's Stablecoin balance, convert the balance to Fiat, and be paid in local currency, like in other transactions. “Customers can add these cards to support digital wallets and pay at merchant locations over 150m accepting visas.”
Bridge, a Stripe-owned Stablecoin orchestration platform, allows for seamless conversions between Fiat and Stubcoin for developers and end users. The backend handles the movement and exchange of digital currency in real time. “Behind the scenes, Bridges move and convert Stablecoins from those cards on behalf of developers. Bridges work as a partner of lead banks and financial institutions.” The system allows merchants to continue receiving payments in local currency, but customers can benefit from stablecoins with excluded dollars in areas affected by currency volatility.
For FinTech developers, partnerships simplify integration and scale. Companies can embed this feature with minimal effort. “Fintech developers using Bridge can now provide Stablecoin-linked visa cards to end customers in multiple countries through a single API integration.”
Jack Forestell, Visa's Chief Products and Strategy Director, highlighted the broader mission.
It focuses on integrating Stablecoins into Visa's existing network and products in a frictionless, secure way.
The product was first launched in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Chile, with plans to expand to Europe, Africa and Asia. Advocates of the initiative say that by making payments that are as accessible and intuitive as traditional cards use, it can significantly increase financial inclusion.
