Stripe to expand stablecoin cards to over 100 countries by the end of the year
Reported by CoinDesk · AI-assisted summary by ChikoCorp AI News Desk
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Summary
Stripe is expanding its stablecoin card programs to over 100 countries by the end of 2026, aiming to integrate stablecoins as a new payment option alongside traditional currencies. Henri Stern, CEO of Privy (acquired by Stripe in 2025) and now head of stablecoins and crypto at Stripe, leads this effort. Stablecoin card spending reached about $1.2 billion last month, tripling in volume over the past year.
Why it matters
The source indicates this expansion highlights growing adoption of stablecoins beyond crypto trading and cross-border transfers into everyday purchases. Stripe’s move to integrate stablecoins within its existing payment infrastructure signals that digital dollars could increasingly become a mainstream payment method for both consumers and businesses.
Key context
Stripe has issued more than 400 million cards and processed hundreds of billions in card volume since 2018. The stablecoin card program leverages Stripe’s acquisitions of Privy and Bridge (purchased for $1.1 billion in 2024), combining card issuing with stablecoin infrastructure. Stripe also partners with Paradigm on the blockchain-based payment system Tempo and is a founding investor in Open Standard, which develops Open USD, a competitor stablecoin to USDC and USDT. Stripe’s offering is agnostic to specific blockchains or stablecoins, intending to let users mix and match payment stacks.
Key numbers and entities
Henri Stern (Privy CEO, Stripe head of stablecoins and crypto), Stripe, Privy (acquired 2025), Bridge (acquired 2024 for $1.1 billion), Paymentscan (reporting $1.2 billion stablecoin card spend last month), Kraken, Ramp, Morse (current customers), Paradigm (partner), Tempo (blockchain for payments), Open Standard (Open USD stablecoin).
What remains unclear
The source does not detail the specific countries included in the planned 100-country expansion, exact timelines for rollout in each region, or regulatory challenges Stripe may face. It also does not specify which stablecoins apart from USDC are planned for integration or how user adoption outside crypto-native users will develop.