TLDR

Visa and Stripe-owned Bridge are expanding stablecoin-linked Visa cards from 18 countries to 100+ by end of 2026
The cards let users spend directly from stablecoin wallets like MetaMask and Phantom at 175 million Visa merchants
Visa’s stablecoin settlement hit a $4.6 billion annualized run rate as of December 2025
The program now supports onchain settlement via Lead Bank, allowing transactions to settle directly in stablecoins
Bridge received conditional approval for a US national bank charter in February 2026

Visa and Stripe’s Bridge are rolling out stablecoin-linked payment cards to more than 100 countries by the end of 2026. The program, which started in Latin America in 2025, is now live in 18 countries.

Visa just announced stablecoin debit cards are coming to 100+ countries by 2026.

The payment giant is expanding its partnership with Bridge (now owned by Stripe) to let users spend $USDC or $USDT at 175M merchants worldwide.

And the program is already live in 18 countries.… pic.twitter.com/WU2feviKGb

— Milk Road (@MilkRoad) March 3, 2026

The cards work by letting users pay for everyday purchases using stablecoin balances held in crypto wallets. Wallets like MetaMask and Phantom are supported. Merchants receive payment in their local currency, just like any standard card transaction.

The expansion will cover Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. Visa’s existing network of 175 million merchant locations will accept the cards.

Stripe acquired Bridge for $1.1 billion. Since then, Bridge has grown its stablecoin infrastructure and applied for a national bank charter in the US.

Bridge received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in February 2026. That approval lets Bridge custody crypto, issue stablecoins, and manage stablecoin reserves.

The program supports four stablecoins: Circle’s USDC, euro-pegged EURC, PayPal USD, and Paxos-issued Global Dollar. These run across four blockchain networks: Solana, Ethereum, Stellar, and Avalanche.

Stablecoin Settlement Goes Onchain

A key update to the program is that settlement can now happen directly in stablecoins. This is enabled through Bridge’s partnership with Lead Bank, an independent commercial bank taking part in Visa’s pilot program.

Before this change, Bridge converted stablecoin funds into fiat before settling transactions. Now those transactions can settle onchain with Visa.

Visa’s head of crypto, Cuy Sheffield, said the company is focused on operating where businesses are, and that increasingly means onchain.

As of December 2025, Visa’s annualized stablecoin settlement run rate reached $4.6 billion.

Custom Stablecoins Enter the Picture

Visa is also evaluating support for Bridge-issued stablecoins. These are stablecoins that businesses create and manage using Bridge’s infrastructure, rather than relying on third-party issuers like Tether or Circle.

Bridge CEO Zach Abrams said this would let businesses use their own custom stablecoins inside their card programs.

Mastercard has also moved into this space. It recently enabled stablecoin card spending in the US through the MetaMask self-custodial wallet.

Stripe is also co-developing a payments-focused blockchain called Tempo with investment firm Paradigm. The GENIUS Act, a US stablecoin-focused bill, passed and has contributed to more experimentation in this space by traditional financial firms.

Bridge’s conditional national bank charter approval in February 2026 is the most recent development in this story.

The post Visa and Stripe’s Bridge Expand Stablecoin Cards to 100+ Countries appeared first on CoinCentral.

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Filed under: News - @ March 4, 2026 7:22 am