Nium Connects $315B Stablecoin Market to Global Card Networks
Global payments firm Nium has launched an enterprise platform enabling businesses to issue stablecoin-funded spending cards on both the Visa and Mastercard networks. The solution allows companies to convert their stablecoin balances into fiat currency at the point of sale, unlocking the ability to spend digital assets at millions of merchant locations. By consolidating conversion, settlement, and compliance into a single API integration, Nium aims to reduce the launch time for stablecoin card programs from months to just days. The move targets the rapidly expanding stablecoin market, which currently has a total capitalization exceeding $315 billion, according to data from DefiLlama.
Stablecoins have proven they can move money. We are now proving they can power commerce at enterprise scale. Every business we speak to that holds stablecoins wants the same thing: a simple, compliant way to deploy those balances without building the infrastructure themselves.
— Prajit Nanu, CEO and Founder of Nium.
Payment Giants Accelerate Stablecoin Integration
Nium's launch is the latest development in a broader industry trend where major financial networks are building bridges to the digital asset ecosystem. Both Visa and Mastercard have been actively expanding their capabilities in this area. In October, Visa expanded its stablecoin settlement support to include four different tokens across four blockchains, enabling conversions into over 25 fiat currencies. More recently, Mastercard agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK in a deal valued at up to $1.8 billion. These initiatives demonstrate a strategic shift by legacy payment giants to incorporate on-chain transactions and meet growing enterprise demand for crypto payment rails.
Regulation and Utility Drive Real-World Adoption
The push for stablecoin payment solutions is supported by maturing regulatory frameworks and clear real-world use cases. The growth is not limited to U.S. dollar-pegged tokens; the supply of stablecoins pegged to other local currencies grew threefold to $1.1 billion between January 2023 and February 2026. This expansion is often driven by practical business needs, such as companies in Latin America using crypto-linked cards to pay for Meta advertising or international firms using stablecoins for payroll. With regulatory licenses in over 40 countries and an existing network that already issues 38 million card tokens annually, Nium is positioning itself to facilitate this new wave of digital currency commerce.
