At a glance

  • Crypto payments network Mesh said on Monday it has partnered with Visa so that users of participating wallets can pay from crypto and stablecoin balances in stores and online wherever Visa is accepted, without a separate card.
  • Initial availability, supported devices and the first participating platforms “will be announced as rollout details are finalized”, Mesh said. At the same Money20/20 USA conference, Mastercard launched a risk-scoring service for stablecoin payments.

Mesh announced the partnership in a release on PR Newswire carrying a statement from Visa. According to the release, Visa is accepted at upwards of 175 million merchant locations in more than 200 countries and territories, and it processed $14.2 trillion of payments in fiscal 2025.

How it would work

Mesh would act as the program manager: it onboards users, runs the identity (KYC) checks and decides how each purchase is funded and converted across crypto, stablecoin and fiat balances. A Visa credential is provisioned in the background, so the user taps a normal contactless terminal or checks out online.

The merchant side does not change. The shop receives an ordinary Visa payment, with no new hardware. Mesh says more than 200 enterprises use its network, naming Kalshi, Tools for Humanity, Félix Pago, Majority and KAST as partners.

“Crypto never had a spending problem — it has a last-mile problem,” said Bam Azizi, Mesh’s chief executive. Rubail Birwadker, Visa’s global head of growth, said working with Mesh “helps expand how digital asset balances can connect” to existing payment experiences.

What it changes for users and merchants

If wallets sign up, a user would no longer need to cash out to a bank or hold a card tied to one exchange to spend a stablecoin balance. Merchants would keep receiving the same Visa settlement they get today. Until a wallet goes live, nothing changes for either.

The release frames the gap with third-party figures: 774 million crypto owners as of June 2026, citing Crypto.com research, and crypto card spending of about $1.5 billion a month by late 2025, citing American Banker.

Mastercard adds a risk score

Mastercard announced Stablecoin Security, an API for banks and payment providers that combines payment data with blockchain analytics. It returns a risk score before a stablecoin payment completes, checking for fraud, scams and sanctions exposure. Borderless.xyz and Keyrails are the first partners; it launches in North America first, with worldwide availability expected in 2027, The Block also reported.

Context

Mesh last appeared in our coverage on 7 Oct, with USD1’s plan to reach merchants through Mesh. Mastercard says it will extend the new service through BVNK, which it bought in August; CryptoWatchDesk covered Mastercard and BVNK’s fiat-and-stablecoin platform on 15 Oct. For a card-issuer route to the same goal, see Marqeta’s stablecoin-backed cards with Coinbase, and for the basics, what a dollar stablecoin is.

Related: 1inch is winding down its Mastercard debit card

This article is for information only and is not investment advice.