This New Crypto Card Will Probably Confuse Your Parents (And Maybe You Too!)

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What to know:

  • Visa and crypto folks at Baanx roll out stablecoin payment cards in the US. Yes, it’s with Circle’s USDC. Yes, it’s “self-custodial.” Sounds fancy, right? 🤷‍♂️
  • Baanx wants to woo Mastercard too, with a MetaMask wallet card. Because apparently you can never have enough cards or blockchains. 🙄

So here it is: Baanx (yeah, with two a’s, because why not?) hooks up with Visa and they’re launching these stablecoin cards. You spend your crypto straight out of your wallet, they do magic with smart contracts, and – poof! – Baanx swaps your ones and zeros for real money so you can buy a coffee. Or, you know, lose it in an airport vending machine.

In case that sounded too easy, let’s throw Mastercard into the mix. Baanx is doing something there with MetaMask wallets. Don’t ask me what MetaMask is if you still balance your checkbook in pen.

Circle’s getting in on the action, too, swinging their stablecoin at the problem of cross-border payments. It’s like everyone looked at international money wires and said, “What if we made this so complicated your uncle would personally phone you to say he doesn’t get it?” 🧐

Baanx says these cards are going global so you can send money “cross-border” for cheap. Of course, the only border I ever cross is between my living room and kitchen, but great for everyone else, I guess.

Simon Jones at Baanx says, “We’re giving people access to stable currency everywhere Visa works. Self-custodial! Real-time! Fancy words! It’s the future!” If he says it enough times, maybe we’ll actually understand it.

And Visa’s Rubail Birwadker? He says we’re still at the start of stablecoin stuff. “Real-world utility is coming!” he says, which is what every crypto guy says before you never see your money again. 😬

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2025-04-30 22:57