Crypto Cards See 230% Growth as Stablecoins Go Mainstream – Cryptocurrencies are heading into the wallets of ordinary people – cards are experiencing explosive growth. According to market-analytical publication The Kobeissi Letter, the monthly volume of payments made through cryptocurrency debit and credit cards increased by approximately 230% compared to last year. The cumulative volume of these payments reached $7.8 billion in May 2026.
The growth is primarily driven by stablecoins, cryptocurrencies typically pegged to the value of the US dollar. These are increasingly being used as a payment instrument that can be spent via card similarly to regular money. According to The Kobeissi Letter, users no longer need to convert stablecoins to fiat currency in advance but can pay with them through card infrastructure.
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Visa dominates, Mastercard catching up
Visa plays a significant role in this segment. According to analysts at The Kobeissi Letter, it processes approximately 90% of crypto card transactions, partly due to partnerships with on-chain projects such as Jupiter Global, a payment project associated with the team behind the decentralized exchange Jupiter on the Solana network.
The growth of crypto cards also shows that digital assets are not yet replacing traditional payment infrastructure, but rather gradually integrating into it. Users can hold stablecoins, but transactions often end up in fiat currency on the merchant’s side and through the network of established card companies.
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People already paying for groceries and lunches with crypto cards
Practical progress is demonstrated by data from the OKX exchange, which launched a stablecoin payment card in Europe in January 2026 operating on the Mastercard network. According to OKX data, grocery purchases accounted for approximately 26% of all transactions, restaurants 18%, and online shopping 13%.
OKX Card allows users to pay with stablecoins from their OKX Pay account, while the transaction is processed through Mastercard and the merchant receives euros. For the average user, the card works similarly to a traditional payment card, with the main difference being the source of funds.
Stablecoin cards heading to over 100 countries
Further expansion is being planned by Visa together with fintech firm Bridge, owned by Stripe. The companies announced plans to expand stablecoin payment cards to over 100 countries. The product is already operating in 18 countries, and the expansion is set to include Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East.
This is an important signal for the cryptocurrency market. Critics have long accused digital assets of serving more for speculation than everyday payments. However, the growth of crypto cards suggests that at least stablecoins are finding increasingly concrete use in everyday payments.
