Stripe Expands Stablecoin Card Programs Globally by 2026

Stripe is aggressively expanding its stablecoin card programs, aiming to bring the service to over 100 countries by the end of 2026. This push is being led by Henri Stern, the co-founder of Privy, a crypto wallet infrastructure company that Stripe acquired last year. Stern now oversees all stablecoin and crypto initiatives at Stripe.

Stablecoin card spending has surged, reaching approximately $1.2 billion last month, a threefold increase compared to the same period a year ago. Notable customers utilizing Stripe's stablecoin cards include the crypto exchange Kraken, the fintech company Ramp, and the payments app Morse. Despite this growth, stablecoin card spending remains a small fraction of the global card payments market, which is valued at over $300 billion.

Stripe plans to integrate stablecoins into its existing infrastructure, leveraging its extensive card-issuing experience. The company has issued over 400 million cards since 2018 and processed hundreds of billions of dollars in card payments. By combining its card business with Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure company acquired for $1.1 billion in 2024, Stripe aims to streamline corporate card offerings in new markets without requiring separate banking connections.

Beyond stablecoin cards, Stripe is exploring tokenized deposits and decentralized finance (DeFi) tools. The company has also partnered with crypto investment firm Paradigm to develop Tempo, a blockchain designed for payments, and is a founding investor in Open Standard, which is building the Open USD stablecoin. Stern emphasizes that Stripe's products are designed to work together seamlessly, allowing users to mix and match tools as they choose.