TL;DR:
- Visa and Bridge expanded their collaboration to offer stablecoin-linked cards in more than 100 countries before the end of 2026.
- The program already operates in 18 countries and allows users to spend stablecoin balances at over 175 million merchants across the company’s network.
- Transaction settlement is processed on-chain through Solana.
Visa and Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure platform acquired by Stripe, announced the expansion of their collaboration to offer stablecoin-linked cards in more than 100 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East before the end of the year.
The program, already active in 18 countries, allows fintech companies and digital wallet providers to offer cards through which their users can spend stablecoin balances at any of the more than 175 million merchants that make up the Visa network.
Visa’s Onchain Settlement Enters the System
Bridge’s stablecoin-funded cards use Visa’s payment network, while settlement can be on-chain through a pilot in which Lead Bank acts as the issuer. Transactions settle on the Solana blockchain as part of the stablecoin settlement pilot program Visa has been developing. The goal is to assess whether this mechanism can improve operational efficiency, simplify accounting reconciliation and give issuers greater flexibility in moving value across payment networks.
Own Stablecoins, Own Infrastructure
Stripe‘s acquisition of Bridge in 2025 underpins much of the technical infrastructure behind the project, which allows developers and fintech platforms to issue Visa cards backed by stablecoins through a single API. Wallets such as Phantom and MetaMask already use this solution, enabling millions of users to spend stablecoins in their everyday purchases.
Zach Abrams, CEO and co-founder of Bridge, indicated that the expansion aims to allow companies launching their own stablecoins to integrate them directly into their card programs. He described it as part of a multi-year effort for companies to “own their own financial stack“.
