Stripe's Stablecoin Card Program Hits Major Milestone
Stripe's global stablecoin card program has reached a significant milestone under the leadership of Connor Fitzgerald, who recently departed as head of stablecoin partnerships. In his one-year tenure, the program grew from zero to operations spanning over 100 markets, including the first stablecoin settlement flow launched in the United States.
Fitzgerald's departure marks the end of a formative chapter for Stripe's bet on blockchain-based payments. He joined Bridge just one month after Stripe completed its acquisition of the stablecoin platform and helped build the underlying regulatory and network infrastructure that made the eventual scale possible.
The program's growth is significant, as it combines Bridge's blockchain payment rails with Stripe's global payments network to support cross-border settlement, stablecoin payments, and card issuance for businesses and developers worldwide. This hybrid architecture removes one of the biggest barriers to stablecoin adoption at scale: the need to choose between crypto-native rails and established financial infrastructure.
Bridge has also secured key regulatory licenses in Europe, including a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) crypto-asset service provider authorization and an Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg. This allows Bridge to provide regulated services across all 27 European Union member states under a single regulatory framework.