Visa an Bridge dey expand stablecoin Visa cards reach 100+ countries and dem dey pilot on‑chain settlement

Visa and Bridge (Wey Stripe own, na de do stablecoin infrastructure) don announce say dem go expand Bridge‑powered stablecoin Visa cards from 18 countries reach over 100 countries by the end of 2026. Card holders go fit spend their stablecoin balance for Visa more than 175 million merchants dem. Bridge build cards don already connect with wallets and platforms like Phantom and MetaMask. The rollout dey target Europe, Asia‑Pacific, Africa and the Middle East and e aim make businesses fit issue custom stablecoins and plug dem into card programs. Data from Stablecoin Utility Report 2026 (YouGov for BVNK with Coinbase and Artemis) show say stablecoin adoption dey grow for emerging markets (60% crypto‑native holdings; 79% for Africa) and consumers strong for bank/fintech‑issued stablecoin wallets and linked debit cards. Separately, Visa, Bridge and Lead Bank dey pilot direct on‑chain settlement for card transactions on supported blockchains, wey move reconciliation from correspondent banking to on‑chain settlement. Visa talk say the pilot go expand settlement choices, reduce back‑office reconciliation through on‑chain reconciliation, and make blockchain integrations easier for banks. Visa Head of Crypto, Cuy Sheffield, describe the initiative as preparation to handle much bigger on‑chain stablecoin flows while still keeping merchant acceptance. Trader takeaways: wider payment utility for stablecoins fit raise transaction volume, on‑chain settlement fit lower settlement friction and cross‑border costs for card issuers, and integration with major wallets improve on‑/off‑ramp liquidity — all of which fit support greater stablecoin utility and usage in payments.