Visa expands stablecoin payment footprint: partners with Bridge to issue stablecoin cards, planning to cover over 100 countries

March 4 News: Global payments giant Visa Inc. is accelerating its development of stablecoin payment networks. The company announced an expansion of its partnership with Bridge to promote the issuance of stablecoin-linked cards worldwide, with plans to cover more than 100 countries and regions by the end of 2026. Following the announcement, Visa’s stock price slightly declined to around $317 during trading.

According to disclosed information, Bridge currently supports fintech companies issuing Visa payment cards backed by stablecoin balances. These cards can be directly linked to crypto wallets, allowing users to make purchases at over 175 million merchants worldwide. During payment, the system automatically converts stablecoin balances into fiat currency for settlement, ensuring compatibility with traditional retail payment systems while maintaining the convenience of digital asset payments.

Initially, this plan was mainly targeted at the Latin American market and has already been implemented in 18 countries. As the partnership deepens, Visa and Bridge plan to gradually expand stablecoin cards to Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Industry experts believe this move indicates that stablecoin payments are transitioning from regional pilots to broader international deployment.

Meanwhile, Visa is also advancing a pilot project for on-chain stablecoin settlement. Some partner banks have joined the testing, utilizing blockchain infrastructure provided by Bridge to settle transactions using stablecoins on designated networks. This mechanism aims to evaluate the potential advantages of blockchain settlement in terms of transaction speed, operational efficiency, and accounting reconciliation, comparing it with traditional payment clearing systems.

Notably, Bridge was previously acquired by Stripe for approximately $1.1 billion and has obtained a conditional national bank charter from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). This allows Bridge to offer custodial services, stablecoin issuance, and reserve management in the future, providing a more comprehensive financial compliance framework for stablecoin payment infrastructure.

As stablecoins continue to expand in cross-border remittances, payroll, and corporate payments, traditional payment networks are gradually integrating programmable digital assets into their systems. The collaboration between Visa and Bridge is seen as a significant step toward the commercialization of stablecoins in the global payments industry.