Crypto Card Payments Explode As Transaction Volume Nears $8 Billion

Visa and Bridge, a fintech firm owned by Stripe, plan to bring stablecoin-linked payment cards to more than 100 countries by the end of 2026, with the first rollout already covering 18 nations across Latin America.

Why Traditional Finance Is Winning The Crypto Payments Race

Grocery runs and restaurant bills are now among the most common uses for crypto-linked cards, according to data from OKX’s European card product. In January, supermarket purchases made up over a quarter of all transactions on the OKX card, followed by restaurants at 18% and online shopping at 13%.

The numbers point to something bigger happening in the payments space. Monthly transaction volume on crypto-linked debit and credit cards has jumped 230% from a year ago, with cumulative volume reaching $7.8 billion this month, based on data from The Kobeissi Letter, a market research publication.

Stablecoins Driving The Surge

Stablecoin access is widely credited for accelerating the trend. More cardholders can now spend dollar-pegged digital assets in place of traditional currency, pushing adoption at a faster pace than in previous years.

The Kobeissi Letter put it plainly: crypto card adoption has rapidly picked up in 2026 because more people can spend stablecoins the way they spend cash. The cards are running on familiar payment networks — not replacing them.

Visa holds a commanding position in this space, capturing roughly 90% of crypto card transaction volume through partnerships with blockchain-native companies. One of those partners is Jupiter Global, the payments project tied to the Jupiter decentralized exchange on the Solana network.

OKX launched its stablecoin card for European customers in January, operating on the Mastercard network. That card’s spending data offers a ground-level view of how people are actually using digital assets in everyday life.

Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Chile are among the countries already included in the Visa-Bridge rollout. Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East are next, reports say, with expansion targeted before the year is out.

The broader picture shows crypto payments finding a place in daily transactions without sidelining the companies that have long dominated the industry. Visa and Mastercard are not being pushed out — they are the ones carrying the new rails.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView