Visa and Bridge plan stablecoin-linked cards in over 100 countries

Visa and Bridge expand stablecoin reach

Visa and Bridge plan to expand stablecoin-linked Visa cards from 18 live countries to more than 100 countries. The expansion covers Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East by the end of the year. Bridge is a crypto company owned by payment processor Stripe and focuses on stablecoin payment infrastructure for businesses. The plan connects stablecoin balances to card payments in regular shops and online stores worldwide.

"Visa is committed to meeting businesses where they operate, and increasingly, that's onchain. Expanding our work with Bridge gives us one more way to bring the speed, transparency and programmability of stablecoins directly into the settlement process.", 03 March 2026. — Cuy Sheffield, Head of Crypto, Visa

How the stablecoin card model works

The program links stablecoins, which are crypto tokens pegged to traditional currencies, to standard Visa payment cards. Users hold stablecoins in supported wallets or accounts and pay with cards at the checkout. Bridge converts the stablecoin value into settlement funds that travel through Visa’s existing payment network. Merchants receive local fiat currency, while users effectively spend their stablecoin balances.

Network scale and merchant coverage

Visa reports that these stablecoin-linked cards work at more than 175 million merchant locations worldwide. These locations include physical shops, online merchants, and service providers that already accept Visa cards. The program does not require special integration for each merchant because it uses the existing card acceptance network. This structure keeps the user experience close to a normal card payment while using stablecoins in the background.

Bridge role in business card programs

Bridge focuses on helping businesses launch their own stablecoin-based products and card programs. Companies integrate Bridge to issue cards that draw directly on custom stablecoins or on-chain balances. This setup gives firms more control over their financial stack, including treasury and settlement flows. Visa and Bridge work together so these business-focused stablecoin cards operate on the same Visa merchant network used by traditional cards.