💳 Pay at the market with stablecoins, without having to “sell them first”? Coinbase and Marqeta want to make that commonplace.
📌 The facts (announcement on Oct. 16, 2026)
• Marqeta, which makes and manages payment cards for other companies, is teaming up with Coinbase on “stablecoin-backed” cards
• Marqeta processed nearly 400 billion $ payments in 2025 and operates in more than 40 countries
• The two already work together: Marqeta has powered the Coinbase card in the U.S. since 2020
🧠 How it works
• Coinbase holds the stablecoins and converts them into regular currency when you pay
• Base, Coinbase’s blockchain, is used for settlement between companies, 24/7
• Marqeta issues the card and manages relationships with banks and card networks
• The merchant receives a regular card payment. They don’t have to change anything
⚖️ The caveats
• This is for Marqeta’s business customers, not a card you can apply for tomorrow
• No launch date, fees, or list of supported stablecoins have been announced
• Your stablecoins are held by a custodian (Coinbase): this isn’t a bank account with deposit protection
• Every payment involves a conversion: check the exchange rate and fees
👤 Awa, a graphic designer in Cotonou, is paid in digital dollars by a client in Paris. Today, she has to sell them, wait, and then pay. With this kind of card, the “sell” step would happen behind the scenes when she pays.
✅ What matters to her: the rate applied to each purchase, and who holds her funds.
Would you pay for your groceries with a stablecoin card? 👇
Not financial advice. DYOR.
Sources: Marqeta, Coinbase, Business Wire, The Block.
#Crypto #Stablecoins #Paiements #Africa
📌 The facts (announcement on Oct. 16, 2026)
• Marqeta, which makes and manages payment cards for other companies, is teaming up with Coinbase on “stablecoin-backed” cards
• Marqeta processed nearly 400 billion $ payments in 2025 and operates in more than 40 countries
• The two already work together: Marqeta has powered the Coinbase card in the U.S. since 2020
🧠 How it works
• Coinbase holds the stablecoins and converts them into regular currency when you pay
• Base, Coinbase’s blockchain, is used for settlement between companies, 24/7
• Marqeta issues the card and manages relationships with banks and card networks
• The merchant receives a regular card payment. They don’t have to change anything
⚖️ The caveats
• This is for Marqeta’s business customers, not a card you can apply for tomorrow
• No launch date, fees, or list of supported stablecoins have been announced
• Your stablecoins are held by a custodian (Coinbase): this isn’t a bank account with deposit protection
• Every payment involves a conversion: check the exchange rate and fees
👤 Awa, a graphic designer in Cotonou, is paid in digital dollars by a client in Paris. Today, she has to sell them, wait, and then pay. With this kind of card, the “sell” step would happen behind the scenes when she pays.
✅ What matters to her: the rate applied to each purchase, and who holds her funds.
Would you pay for your groceries with a stablecoin card? 👇
Not financial advice. DYOR.
Sources: Marqeta, Coinbase, Business Wire, The Block.
#Crypto #Stablecoins #Paiements #Africa