Stripe Targets 100 Countries for Stablecoin Card Expansion by 2026

Stripe, the payments company, has set an ambitious goal to expand its card programs to over 100 countries by the end of 2026. This initiative aims to boost spending with stablecoin balances through cards. Henri Stern, who leads Stripe’s stablecoin and crypto operations, discussed the company’s plans in an interview with CoinDesk. Current customers include Kraken, Ramp, and Morse.

Stripe plans to integrate its existing card-issuing service with Bridge’s stablecoin infrastructure, allowing digital dollars as another payment option. This approach could help companies like Ramp avoid rebuilding banking and payment connections in each market when expanding corporate cards. Kraken is also exploring ways for customers to spend from accounts holding digital assets.

According to Stern, Stripe’s card business has issued over 400 million cards since 2018, handling hundreds of billions of dollars in transaction volume. The expansion of stablecoin cards will leverage this infrastructure. Paymentscan data cited in the report shows that card spending with stablecoins reached about $1.2 billion last month, tripling the amount from a year earlier.

Stripe is also developing the payments-focused Tempo blockchain with Paradigm, along with Bridge and wallet infrastructure company Privy. The company is a founding investor in Open Standard, which is developing the Open USD stablecoin. Stern emphasized that these products should work together, allowing customers to choose components that suit their needs without relying solely on Stripe.