Visa Cuts Through Legacy Finance—Integrates Stablecoins Across 150M Merchant Network via Bridge

Visa just handed traditional payment rails a shovel—partnering with Bridge to plug stablecoins into its massive network. Because nothing says ’innovation’ like legacy finance finally catching up to 2014.

The move lets 150M merchants tap into dollar-pegged crypto—without touching volatile assets. Faster settlements, lower fees, and a not-so-subtle nod to the inevitable: fiat’s on borrowed time.

Bridge’s infrastructure handles the crypto-fiat conversion in the background. Because let’s be honest—most retailers still think ’blockchain’ is a bike lock feature.

One cynic’s take: Visa’s playing both sides. Pushing stablecoins while quietly praying regulators crush anything truly disruptive. Old habits die hard.

Payment giant weighs in

According to the company, 

“Cardholders will be able to make everyday purchases from a stablecoin balance at any merchant location that accepts Visa.”

The payments giant added, 

“For example, when a customer in Colombia shops locally and uses their Bridge-enabled Visa card to pay a merchant, Bridge deducts the requisite funds from the customer’s stablecoin balance and converts the balance into fiat, enabling the merchant to get paid in their local currency like any other transaction. Customers can add these cards to supporting digital wallets and pay at the 150M+ merchant locations that accept Visa.”

The Visa-Bridge collaboration is not only consumer-focused, but also designed with fintech developers in mind. It streamlines the process of integrating stablecoin payments into existing platforms.

Through a single API provided by Bridge, developers can now enable stablecoin-linked Visa card functionality for users across multiple Latin American countries. While also offering a fast, scalable path to adoption.

Visa’s vision for the future

The initial roll-out will target Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Chile, with plans to expand into Europe, Africa, and Asia too. 

Advocates see this as a leap towards broader financial inclusion, enabling crypto-backed transactions to feel as familiar and reliable as using a traditional debit card.

The stablecoin market is projected to soar to $2 trillion by 2028, driven by clearer regulations and increasing demand for U.S. Treasury instruments. This launch can be expected to redefine how digital assets function within mainstream financial ecosystems.

“Reserve requirements outlined in proposed stablecoin legislation will provide an additional and growing source of demand for Treasuries.”

Impact on Latin America

Remarking on the same, Jack Forestell, Chief Product and Strategy officer at Visa, said, 

“We feel like the moment is now to take some of the things that we’ve already been doing in a more experimental, pilot basis and start to expose them to the world as capabilities that we anticipate will really start to become big and meaningful and globally scalable.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Bridge CEO Zach Abrams underscored this necessity. He claimed that for stablecoins to gain traction at scale, they must integrate effortlessly with the platforms and services already embedded in everyday commerce.

Thus, as regulatory clarity advances and infrastructure matures, this approach could be instrumental in positioning stablecoins. Not just as an alternative, but as a natural extension of the global financial ecosystem.