Visa and Mesh plan crypto payments at 175 million merchants

175 million merchant locations are in reach of a new Visa and Mesh partnership announced on October 19. If it rolls out as described, you could pay from a participating wallet’s crypto or stablecoin balance in stores or online, without moving funds first, according to Mesh’s announcement.

How would paying from a crypto wallet work?

Mesh says it will connect participating wallets and platforms to Visa’s payment network. A Visa credential would be provisioned behind the scenes, letting you tap at a contactless terminal or pay at online checkout.

Mesh would coordinate how a transaction is funded and converted across supported crypto, stablecoin and fiat balances. The announced design does not require you to sell, transfer or preload funds before paying. Merchants would receive a standard payment, with no new hardware or checkout changes, Mesh says.

The partnership is aimed at making balances held in different wallet apps usable at merchants that accept Visa. That differs from a setup in which you first cash out to a bank account or use a card tied to one platform. Mesh says platforms could connect through a single integration rather than build and run their own card programs.

Can you use the service yet?

No launch date or list of participating wallets has been announced. Initial availability and supported devices are also still to be confirmed, The Block reported.

That makes the announcement a planned connection, not a service you can assume is available in your wallet today. Mesh says it will share rollout details as they are finalized. Until then, you’ll need to check with your wallet provider for any confirmed launch information.

What does the 175 million figure cover?

It is the size of Visa’s merchant-location network, not a count of merchants already taking crypto through Mesh. Mesh says Visa’s network spans more than 200 countries and territories and recorded $14.2 trillion in payment volume in fiscal 2025.

For the merchant, the proposed flow would look like an ordinary Visa payment. The crypto or stablecoin funding and conversion would take place through Mesh’s infrastructure, rather than requiring the merchant to accept or handle crypto directly.

Mesh also says it already works with more than 200 enterprises. It named Kalshi, Tools for Humanity, Félix Pago, MAJORITY and KAST among its partners, and said its network reaches hundreds of millions of users. The announcement does not say which of those platforms will enable Visa spending first.

Mesh would also handle onboarding and know-your-customer checks as program manager, according to its announcement. The practical test will come when platforms go live: until they do, the announced network reach describes the potential destination for payments, not confirmed access for every wallet user.

Sources

• Mesh’s announcement — meshpay.com
• The Block reported — theblock.co