Stablecoin

2026

Billion

Rails

<p>Crypto cards have quietly become one of the fastest-growing segments in digital payments. According to research from <a href="https://x.com/artemis" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@artemis</a>, monthly volume climbed from roughly $100 million in early 2023 to over $1.5 billion by late 2025, a 106% compound annual growth rate. The market now exceeds $18 billion annualized, rapidly closing in on peer-to-peer stablecoin transfers at $19 billion, which grew just 5% over the same period.</p>
<h2 id="visa-dominates-the-rails">Visa Dominates the Rails</h2>
<p>Despite near-parity in program counts, with both <a href="https://x.com/Visa" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@Visa</a> and <a href="https://x.com/Mastercard" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@Mastercard</a> each running more than 130 programs, Visa captures over 90% of on-chain card volume through early partnerships with infrastructure providers. Visa's stablecoin-linked card spend reached a $3.5 billion annualized run rate in the fourth quarter of 2025, and the payments giant now supports stablecoins across four blockchains, stepping up partnerships and infrastructure work to broaden access for both retail and institutional clients.</p>
<h2 id="europeans-are-using-crypto-for-groceries-not-speculation">Europeans Are Using Crypto for Groceries, Not Speculation</h2>
<p>New <a href="https://x.com/okx" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@okx</a> Card data covering settled transactions across the European Economic Area (EEA) between late January and late February 2026 shows just how mundane crypto spending has become. Groceries topped the chart at 26% of all transactions, with more than one in four payments happening at a supermarket checkout. Restaurants accounted for 12% of transactions, online marketplaces 13%, and fast food and convenience stores followed closely behind. Food-related spending combined accounted for 44% of all European card activity.</p>
<p>Country-level patterns reflect local culture. In the Netherlands, 37% of OKX Card transactions occurred in supermarkets, the highest grocery share in the dataset. Germany leaned heavily toward ecommerce, with 30% of transactions on online marketplaces, more than double the EEA average of 13%. French users visited bakeries at twice the European rate, with 5% of transactions at boulangeries compared to a 2% EEA average. Poland stood out for small-ticket, in-person use, with 16% of payments at convenience stores and roughly 9% at fuel stations.</p>
<p>The pattern reinforces a broader shift: stablecoin-funded cards are beginning to displace traditional payment methods in everyday routines, not just for occasional large purchases. As <a href="https://x.com/artemis" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@artemis</a> noted, cards remain the dominant bridge for stablecoin spending because they require no new merchant integrations, making adoption frictionless on both sides of the transaction.</p>
<p><strong>Sources:</strong><br><a href="https://research.artemisanalytics.com/p/stablecoin-payments-at-scale-how" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Artemis Analytics: Stablecoin Payments at Scale</a><br><a href="https://www.okx.com/en-eu/learn/okx-card-how-europeans-spend-crypto" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">OKX Europe: How Europeans Really Spend Crypto</a><br><a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/okx-card-data-shows-crypto-is-paying-for-everyday-life-in-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CoinTelegraph: OKX Card Data Shows Crypto Spending Shifts to Everyday Purchases</a></p>

Crypto Cards Hit $18 Billion And Took Over P2p

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