tl;dr
Visa will launch a pilot program allowing customers in six Latin American countries—Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Chile—to make purchases using stablecoins via new Visa cards. These cards, issued by fintech companies and developers, enable spending stablecoin balances at any mercha...
Visa has initiated a pilot program enabling customers in six Latin American countries—Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Chile—to make purchases using stablecoins via new Visa cards. These cards, issued by fintech companies and developers, allow users to spend stablecoin balances at any merchant accepting Visa.
The program is a collaboration with Bridge, a part of Stripe, and represents Visa’s efforts to integrate stablecoins securely into its network. Following this regional launch, Visa plans to expand the service to Europe, Asia, and Africa in the coming months, responding to escalating demand from both consumers and businesses in these markets.
This initiative follows similar moves by Mastercard and underscores the growing prominence of stablecoins—cryptocurrencies backed by stable assets such as the U.S. dollar. Visa’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Jack Forestell, emphasized a focus on frictionless and secure stablecoin integration into Visa’s existing products and infrastructure.
Visa’s stablecoin cards will allow users to transact easily and access everyday purchases through their digital balances, marking a significant step in bringing stablecoins from crypto-native communities into mainstream financial use. This aligns with Visa’s series of pro-crypto initiatives in recent years aimed at modernizing payment ecosystems and meeting evolving consumer preferences worldwide.