Visa and Mesh will let crypto users pay at 175 million merchant locations worldwide

Visa has announced a strategic partnership with US crypto payments network Mesh that will let users spend cryptocurrencies and stablecoins directly from digital wallets. For high-risk PSPs, the point is not the press release gloss: this is another attempt to make crypto balances usable inside ordinary card acceptance without forcing the customer into a separate crypto card flow.

1. According to the companies, the setup will tap into Visa’s global acceptance network, which covers more than 175 million merchant locations in more than 200 countries and territories. The announcement was made on 19 October.
2. Under the new infrastructure, Mesh will handle the payment rails behind the scenes by issuing Visa payment credentials in the background. That means the buyer will not need to first withdraw crypto to a bank account, move funds to a separate card, or top up a card before paying.
3. The payment flow is designed to work for in-store contactless payments as well as online purchases. Mesh will use funds from the supported balance and carry out the required conversion, with support for cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and fiat money. Merchants, meanwhile, will continue receiving standard payments through their existing infrastructure and will not need extra hardware or a new checkout process.
4. The commercial logic is easy to see. Crypto.com research put the number of crypto holders worldwide at 774 million by June 2026. At the same time, everyday spending remains limited: American Banker said monthly transaction volume on crypto cards was about $1.5 billion by the end of 2025. Visa and Mesh are positioning this model as a way to make digital assets spendable without issuing a separate crypto card.
5. Mesh’s infrastructure is already used by more than 200 companies, including crypto wallets, exchanges, and financial platforms. For access to the Visa network, partners will need to integrate with Mesh, which will also handle user onboarding and KYC (know your customer) procedures. The companies have not announced exact launch dates, supported devices, or the first connected platforms yet.