Visa and Stripe-owned Bridge are expanding their stablecoin-linked card program to 18 additional countries, with plans to surpass 100 markets by year-end. The rollout spans Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, marking a significant extension beyond the program’s initial launch in Latin America in 2025.
The initiative allows consumers to spend stablecoins through Visa-branded cards while merchants continue receiving local fiat currency. Transactions were previously converted offchain before settlement, maintaining compatibility with existing payment infrastructure.
The expansion underscores growing competition among global card networks to integrate blockchain-based assets into traditional payment rails.
Onchain Settlement Pilot with Lead Bank
Alongside geographic expansion, Visa and Bridge are testing direct stablecoin settlement. The pilot is being conducted in partnership with Lead Bank, enabling certain transactions to settle onchain rather than through fiat intermediaries.
Under the new structure, stablecoins can move directly across blockchain networks during settlement, potentially increasing transparency and reducing processing friction. Visa executives said the initiative reflects rising demand from businesses operating natively onchain.
Bridge also confirmed it is evaluating support for programmatically issued stablecoins created by enterprises using its infrastructure, extending beyond established tokens such as Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC.
Institutional Competition Intensifies
The announcement comes as payment providers deepen stablecoin integration strategies. Rival networks have introduced similar capabilities, highlighting the strategic importance of digital dollar settlement in cross-border commerce and treasury operations.
For Visa, the partnership aligns with its broader digital asset roadmap, which includes pilots in blockchain-based settlement and tokenized payments. For Stripe, ownership of Bridge provides infrastructure exposure as fintech firms position stablecoins as a complement to conventional card networks rather than a replacement.
As regulatory clarity around dollar-backed stablecoins advances in major jurisdictions, large payment networks appear increasingly willing to embed onchain settlement within established financial frameworks, signaling a gradual convergence between crypto infrastructure and global payments.