Key Highlights
- Visa and Bridge to launch stablecoin cards in over 100 countries by 2026, including Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East by year-end
- Users can make everyday purchases using stablecoin balances held in wallets like Phantom and MetaMask, with transactions accepted at any of Visa’s 175 million merchant locations worldwide
- The expanded collaboration includes a stablecoin settlement pilot, allowing transactions to settle on-chain using stablecoins over supported blockchain networks
On March 3, Visa and Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure platform acquired by Stripe in 2025, announced a major expansion of their partnership. The partnership is expected to roll out stablecoin-backed Visa cards to more than 100 countries by the end of 2026.
Visa and Bridge Partnership Targets More Than 100 Countries for Cards
This partnership will change how users spend digital dollars in everyday life. This expanded program comes after a major announcement first made in 2025, which initially focused on Central and South American markets. Bridge-based stablecoin-linked cards are now available in 18 countries, with plans to extend across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East by year-end.
These cards allow consumers to make everyday purchases using stablecoin balances held in popular crypto wallets like Phantom and MetaMask. Transactions are accepted at any of Visa’s more than 175 million merchant locations worldwide. This allows stablecoin holders the same spending power as traditional bank customers.
“Visa is committed to meeting businesses where they operate, and increasingly, that’s onchain,” Cuy Sheffield, Head of Crypto, Visa, stated in the press release. “Expanding our work with Bridge gives us one more way to bring the speed, transparency and programmability of stablecoins directly into the settlement process. This milestone gives our partners greater choice in how they move value, and it reinforces Visa’s role as a trusted network connecting stablecoins and the global payments ecosystem.”
“We’re on a multiyear journey to help businesses own their own financial stack,” Zach Abrams, CEO and cofounder of Bridge, said. “This expansion of our work with Visa will enable businesses launching their own custom stablecoins to use them seamlessly within their card programs.”
The partnership also includes an expanded stablecoin settlement pilot. Through Bridge’s collaboration with Lead Bank, card transactions can now be settled on-chain with Visa using stablecoins over supported blockchain networks. It is a participant in Visa’s stablecoin settlement initiative. This allows Visa issuers and acquirers to settle transactions with impressive speed and transparency.
Visa is also testing support for Bridge-issued assets to prepare for the future, where it is exploring how these assets could be integrated into Visa’s global network and introducing new settlement options for partners.
Bridge, which Stripe acquired for $1.1 billion in February 2025, provides API infrastructure that allows businesses to receive, store, convert, issue, and spend stablecoins.
