Visa and Stripe-Owned Bridge Expand Stablecoin Card Program to 100 Countries as On-Chain Settlement Pilot Begins

Payments Network Tests Blockchain Settlement as Stablecoin Cards Reach 175 Million Visa Merchants

TL;DR

• Visa and Bridge are expanding stablecoin-linked payment cards to 100+ countries while enabling spending at 175 million merchants on the Visa network.
• The initiative builds on a program launched in April 2025, first deployed across several Latin American markets.
• Visa is testing on-chain stablecoin settlement with Lead Bank while annualized stablecoin settlement on its infrastructure reached $4.6 billion by December 2025.

We’ve launched the all-new COIN360 Perp DEX, built for traders who move fast!

Trade 130+ assets with up to 100× leverage, enjoy instant order placement and low-slippage swaps, and earn USDC passive yield while climbing the leaderboard. Your trades deserve more than speed — they deserve mastery.

Visa and Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform acquired by Stripe, have expanded their collaboration to roll out stablecoin-linked payment cards globally while testing blockchain-based settlement within Visa’s payment network. The announcement released around March 3, 2026, outlines plans to bring the card program to more than 100 countries, enabling users to spend stablecoins through the Visa network while integrating blockchain-based settlement infrastructure into traditional payment rails.

The card program allows users to connect crypto wallets holding stablecoins directly to Visa-enabled cards. Purchases made through the cards are processed through Visa’s global payments infrastructure, allowing spending across 175 million merchant locations worldwide where Visa is accepted. Fintech companies and wallet providers can issue branded cards using Bridge’s infrastructure, enabling consumers to pay directly with stablecoins while merchants continue receiving funds through familiar card payment systems.

Wallet integrations supporting the Bridge infrastructure include crypto wallets such as MetaMask and Phantom, enabling users to spend stablecoin balances held in self-custodied wallets at merchants that accept Visa payments. Under the initial system architecture, transactions deduct stablecoins from the user’s wallet and convert them into local fiat currency at the point of sale so merchants receive payment in their standard settlement currency.

The current phase introduces a pilot testing direct stablecoin settlement on blockchain networks rather than relying exclusively on fiat conversion. Visa is evaluating the use of blockchain rails for payment settlement in collaboration with Lead Bank, an independent commercial bank participating in the stablecoin settlement program. Bridge provides the stablecoin infrastructure layer supporting Lead Bank’s role in the pilot.

Visa’s head of crypto, Cuy Sheffield, said the company aims to integrate blockchain infrastructure into the global payments network as digital assets become more embedded in financial systems. Sheffield stated the initiative is intended to meet businesses where financial activity increasingly occurs, adding that the effort seeks to bring “the speed, transparency and programmability of stablecoins directly into the settlement process.”

The stablecoin card program originally launched in April 2025 and initially focused on Latin American markets where stablecoin usage had grown amid cross-border payment demand and inflation pressures. Early deployments included Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Chile, where users gained access to payment cards allowing stablecoin spending through the Visa network.

The collaboration has expanded beyond those markets, with the cards currently operational in 18 countries while Visa and Bridge plan to extend the program into Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East during the broader global rollout.

Visa has already processed a growing volume of blockchain-based payments through its infrastructure. Stablecoin transactions moving across Visa’s network reached an annualized settlement volume of $4.6 billion by December 2025, according to data cited alongside the announcement.

Bridge became part of Stripe following a 2025 acquisition, positioning the payments company to develop stablecoin-based financial infrastructure integrated with traditional payment systems. The initiative also allows businesses to issue stablecoins using Bridge’s programmable infrastructure rather than relying exclusively on widely used tokens.

The program links self-custodied wallets, fintech card issuers and the Visa merchant network into a payment flow where consumers spend stablecoins through card transactions while settlement infrastructure increasingly interacts with blockchain rails through Visa’s payment systems.

This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.