Global payments giant Visa Inc. is widening its push into blockchain-based finance, announcing an expanded collaboration with Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure firm acquired by Stripe in February 2025.
The move will scale stablecoin-linked Visa cards to more than 100 countries by the end of the year, a sharp increase from the 18 markets where the product is already live.
The partnership allows fintech companies and developers to issue Visa cards backed by stablecoin balances. Cardholders can spend those balances at over 175 million merchant locations worldwide wherever Visa is accepted, effectively bridging crypto holdings with everyday commerce.
Crypto wallet providers including Phantom and MetaMask have already integrated the card functionality, enabling millions of users to convert stablecoins into point-of-sale purchases without manually off-ramping into fiat first.
Key Takeaways
- Visa Inc. and Bridge are expanding stablecoin-linked Visa cards from 18 countries to more than 100 countries by year-end.
- Cardholders can spend stablecoin balances at over 175 million merchant locations globally wherever Visa is accepted.
- Through Bridge’s partnership with Lead Bank, participating issuers can settle transactions onchain as part of Visa’s stablecoin settlement pilot.
- Crypto wallets such as Phantom and MetaMask have integrated the cards, enabling users to pay directly with stablecoins.
- Visa is evaluating support for Bridge-issued assets to introduce additional blockchain-based settlement pathways across its global payments network.
Expansion Across Four Major Regions
The expanded rollout will cover Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. If completed as planned, it would represent one of the broadest deployments of stablecoin-linked payment cards to date.
Bridge provides the backend infrastructure that allows businesses to launch custom stablecoin programs tied to Visa cards. Through a partnership with Lead Bank, transactions made with these cards can now be settled onchain as part of Visa’s stablecoin settlement pilot.
That pilot marks a significant shift from traditional card settlement systems, which typically rely on established banking rails and batch-based clearing processes.
Stablecoin Settlement Moves Onchain
Visa’s pilot enables issuers and acquirers to settle directly with Visa using stablecoins over supported blockchain networks. Lead Bank is one of the participating institutions, while Bridge supplies the stablecoin infrastructure layer facilitating these flows.
The initiative is testing whether blockchain-based settlement can improve operational efficiency, expand settlement options for issuers, and speed up fund movement compared to conventional methods. It also evaluates how infrastructure providers like Bridge can simplify blockchain interaction for financial institutions that lack deep crypto-native expertise.
Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s Head of Crypto, emphasized the strategic direction behind the expansion:
He added:
The settlement pilot builds on Visa’s broader blockchain initiatives over recent years, which have included USDC settlement experiments and integration efforts with crypto-native platforms.
Custom Stablecoins Enter Card Programs
Beyond card issuance and settlement, Visa is also assessing whether assets issued through Bridge could be supported in future payment flows across its network. This would introduce additional settlement pathways for partners seeking alternatives to traditional fiat-based processing.
Zach Abrams, CEO and co-founder of Bridge, framed the collaboration as part of a longer-term financial infrastructure shift:
That comment signals a growing institutional appetite for programmable money—stablecoins issued by businesses themselves rather than relying solely on third-party issuers.
A Broader Institutional Push
The announcement comes as Visa continues to post strong financial performance in its core payments business. The company reported 15% year-over-year revenue growth in its fiscal first-quarter 2026 results, reaching $10.9 billion, while maintaining a market capitalization above $600 billion.
Even as its traditional card network remains dominant, Visa is steadily integrating blockchain-based tools into its settlement architecture.
Rather than positioning stablecoins as a replacement for existing systems, the company appears to be building optionality into its network—allowing issuers and partners to choose between fiat and blockchain rails where appropriate.
For the crypto sector, the expansion to over 100 countries significantly increases the potential reach of stablecoin spending. By embedding digital dollar equivalents directly into widely accepted card infrastructure, Visa and Bridge are lowering the friction between blockchain assets and everyday transactions.
If successful, the model could accelerate mainstream stablecoin adoption—not through speculative trading, but through practical utility at checkout counters worldwide.
