Bitget and Mastercard Partner to Launch Zero-Fee Crypto Card, Challenging Visa in $253B Market
In a bold move to capture the rapidly growing digital payments market, Mastercard has teamed up with Bitget Wallet to introduce a zero-fee cryptocurrency card. This strategic partnership directly challenges Visa's dominance in the $253 billion sector, marking a significant escalation in the competition between the two payment giants. The launch comes as both companies aggressively pursue opportunities in the stablecoin payment space, with Visa responding by expanding its own stablecoin pilot program across six Latin American countries. This development underscores the increasing importance of cryptocurrency solutions in mainstream finance and highlights Bitget's rising influence in shaping the future of digital payments.
Mastercard’s Zero-Fee Crypto Card Challenges Visa in $253B Race
Mastercard has launched a zero-fee crypto card in partnership with Bitget Wallet, directly challenging Visa's dominance in the $253 billion digital payments market. The move intensifies the competition between the two payment giants as they vie for control of the burgeoning stablecoin payment sector.
Visa has responded with its own stablecoin pilot program across six Latin American countries, signaling the growing threat of crypto to traditional card networks. The shift comes as US businesses paid $187 billion in swipe fees last year—a revenue stream that zero-fee crypto solutions could disrupt.
"The rise of stablecoin crypto threats highlights this demand," said Jamie Elkaleh, CMO of Bitget Wallet. Visa's Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Jack Forestell, acknowledged the challenge but did not provide further comment.
Bitget Wallet Launches Zero-Fee Crypto Card in Partnership with Mastercard at EthCC
Bitget Wallet, a leading non-custodial crypto wallet, unveiled its new zero-fee crypto-linked card during the ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) in Cannes. The product, developed in collaboration with Mastercard and infrastructure provider Immersve, enables users to spend digital assets at over 150 million Mastercard-accepting merchants globally.
The launch was highlighted in a keynote titled 'Making Crypto Spendable,' emphasizing the seamless integration of self-custodial assets with traditional financial systems. Interoperability, compliance, and user protection were underscored as critical to driving mass adoption. The event also featured a fireside chat discussing the backend infrastructure powered by Immersve, which allows users to retain control of their crypto until settlement.