Stripe Stablecoin Card Program Lead Steps Down Amid Global Expansion

Stripe's stablecoin card program lead Connor Fitzgerald has stepped down after helping establish the company's global stablecoin card program across more than 100 markets.

Fitzgerald, who was the head of partnerships at Stripe and its stablecoin infrastructure business Bridge, announced his departure on X last week. He joined Bridge shortly after Stripe completed its $1.1 billion acquisition of the platform in an effort to accelerate its stablecoin payments business.

During his tenure, Fitzgerald worked with payment networks, financial institutions, and fintech companies to build the necessary banking and card network relationships required for the program's launch. He said that much of the underlying infrastructure was built during this period before scaling internationally.

The program has since expanded to reach more than 100 markets, introduced the first stablecoin settlement flow in the United States, and increased annualized payment volume from zero to tens of millions of dollars. Fitzgerald also praised working with 'some of the best people in fintech' during his time at Stripe.

In a statement, Fitzgerald expressed his excitement for his next venture, which will remain closely connected to blockchain-based financial infrastructure. He noted that he believes the next generation of global banking will be built natively on-chain and hinted that more information would be shared soon.