Visa to expand Bridge stablecoin card programs and onchain settlement to over 100 countries by year-end

Visa announced on March 3 it will expand its collaboration with Bridge to scale stablecoin-linked card programs and onchain settlement to more than 100 countries by the end of the year. Bridge-enabled stablecoin cards are already available in 18 countries and are expected to reach over 100 markets across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, while transactions made with stablecoin-backed Visa cards can settle onchain through Bridge's partnership with Lead Bank as part of Visa's stablecoin settlement pilot. Crypto platforms including Phantom and MetaMask are using these cards so millions of users can spend stablecoins at more than 175 million merchant locations worldwide, and the pilot with issuers and acquirers is evaluating settlement flexibility, onchain efficiency and how Bridge simplifies blockchain connectivity for institutional participants.