Visa and Stripe's Bridge Expand Global Stablecoin Card Program

Visa and Stripe-owned Bridge are expanding their joint stablecoin-linked Visa card program. The rollout now covers 18 countries, with plans to reach more than 100 across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East by the end of the year. The program first launched in April 2025 in Latin America, supporting Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Chile.

The partners are testing stablecoin settlement through a Visa pilot that would let issuers and acquirers settle transactions in stablecoins rather than fiat. When the card program launched, Bridge processed payments by deducting funds from customers' stablecoin balances and converting them into local currency for merchants; under the new collaboration, enabled by independent commercial bank Lead Bank, settlement is set to occur directly in stablecoins.

Bridge received conditional approval from a US regulator to become a national trust bank in mid-February.

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