Visa and Stripe’s Bridge are taking their stablecoin payment card program global. They’re expanding from Latin America to 18 countries immediately. By year-end, they plan to reach more than 100 markets according to a Tuesday announcement.
The expansion introduces a major technical shift. Direct onchain settlement through blockchain networks. Not traditional banking infrastructure anymore.
The cards let users spend stablecoins—cryptocurrencies pegged to fiat currencies. Merchants receive local currency as usual. Until now, Bridge converted stablecoins to fiat offchain. The new phase changes that. It pilots blockchain-based settlement directly between card issuers and acquirers.
The program will roll out across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. It launched in select Latin American markets in 2025.
Onchain settlement became possible through Bridge’s partnership with Lead Bank. It’s an independent US commercial bank. Card transactions can now be settled in stablecoins with Visa. Not exclusively in fiat currency anymore.
Bridge recently received conditional approval from a US regulator. It can become a national trust bank. That strengthens its regulatory standing for the expansion.
“We aim to meet businesses where they operate, and increasingly, that’s onchain,” said Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s head of crypto. It signals the payments giant’s strategic commitment to blockchain-based infrastructure.
Visa is also evaluating support for what it calls “Bridge-issued assets.” Custom stablecoins that businesses can create programmatically. These assets would plug directly into global card networks. That could lower settlement costs and accelerate cross-border transactions for enterprises.
The move intensifies competition in stablecoin payments. Mastercard has already enabled US stablecoin card spending through its MetaMask integration. Both card networks are racing to capture blockchain-based payment flows. The technology could reshape how businesses handle international commerce.
For merchants and consumers, the practical benefit is straightforward. Faster settlements at lower cost.
For the broader crypto industry, it’s something bigger. Mainstreaming of onchain transactions through the world’s most ubiquitous payment infrastructure.
Whether custom business stablecoins gain traction depends on two things. Regulatory clarity. And whether companies see meaningful savings over existing rails.
