Visa and Stripe-owned stablecoin firm Bridge has globally expanded the stablecoin-linked card issuance product it unveiled last year, which was focused on Central and South American countries.
Lead Bank, which was announced as a participant in Visa’s stablecoin settlement pilot earlier this year, is also working with Bridge’s stablecoin infrastructure, according to a press release.
Bridge-enabled stablecoin-linked cards are now live in 18 countries using crypto platforms such as Phantom and MetaMask, with planned expansion to over 100 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East by the end of the year, the companies said on Tuesday.
“Expanding our work with Bridge gives us another way to bring the speed, transparency and programmability of stablecoins directly into the settlement process. This milestone gives our partners greater choice in how they move value, and it reinforces Visa’s role as a trusted network connecting stablecoins and the global payments ecosystem,” said Visa’s head of crypto Cuy Sheffield.
Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams said the expansion with Visa will enable companies launching their own custom stablecoins to seamlessly use them in their card programs.
