Visa and Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure firm owned by Stripe, announced Tuesday that their jointly issued stablecoin-linked card program will expand to more than 100 countries by the end of 2026. The product is currently active in 18 markets, having launched in 2025 with an initial focus on Latin America, including Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Chile.
The planned rollout will cover Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Cards issued through the program let users spend directly from stablecoin balances held in self-custody wallets such as MetaMask and Phantom, with transactions processed across Visa’s network of 175 million merchant locations worldwide.
Under the original structure, Bridge converted stablecoin balances into fiat at the point of sale, allowing merchants to receive payment in local currency. The updated arrangement, enabled through Bridge’s partnership with Lead Bank, allows card transactions to be settled directly in stablecoins on-chain rather than converting to fiat first.
