Visa and Stripe’s Bridge Expand Global Stablecoin Card Program

Global payment giant Visa is expanding its stablecoin card partnership with Stripe-owned Bridge, expanding the rollout of stablecoin-linked Visa cards worldwide and testing onchain settlement.

Visa and Bridge are expanding their joint card program to 18 countries, with plans to reach more than 100 across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East by the end of the year, according to a Tuesday announcement.

The expansion follows the program’s initial launch in April 2025, which first supported markets in Latin America, including Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Chile.

In addition to the expansion, the companies are testing stablecoin settlement through Visa’s pilot program, enabling issuers and acquirers to settle transactions using stablecoins rather than fiat.

The move highlights the ongoing stablecoin race in the payments industry, with Mastercard recently enabling stablecoin card spending in the US via the self-custodial crypto wallet MetaMask.

Onchain support enabled through Bridge’s partnership with Lead Bank

When the card program launched in 2025, transactions were processed by Bridge, deducting funds from the customer’s stablecoin balance and converting them into fiat, allowing merchants to receive payment in local currency like any other card transaction.

Under the new collaboration, enabled by independent commercial bank Lead Bank, settlement is now set to occur directly in stablecoins.

“Now, through Bridge’s partnership with Lead Bank, these card transactions can be settled onchain with Visa,” the announcement noted.

“Visa is committed to meeting businesses where they operate, and increasingly, that’s onchain,” Visa’s head of crypto, Cuy Sheffield said. “Expanding our work with Bridge gives us one more way to bring the speed, transparency and programmability of stablecoins directly into the settlement process,” he added.

Related: Stripe considers acquiring some or all of PayPal: Report

Additionally, Visa is evaluating potential support for Bridge-issued assets, or stablecoins created and managed using Bridge’s infrastructure platform. Unlike major stablecoins such as Tether’s USDt (USDT) or Circle’s USDC (USDC), Bridge-issued stablecoins are created programmatically by businesses rather than a third-party issuer.

“This expansion of our work with Visa will enable businesses launching their own custom stablecoins to use them seamlessly within their card programs,” Bridge co-founder and CEO Zach Abrams said.

Magazine: Clarity Act risks repeat of Europe’s mistakes, crypto lawyer warns