Crypto payment card monthly volume grew 2.5x year-over-year to $759M in July 2026, with dollar-backed stablecoins and Visa dominating.
DeFi & Yields ·
Crypto payment card monthly spending reached $759 million in July 2026, representing a 2.5x increase from $306 million in July 2025, according to data tracking by Paymentscan. The growth reflects the expanding utility of these cards, which enable users to spend stablecoins at merchants accepting traditional payment networks. Nearly 9 million transactions occurred in July, up from approximately 5.2 million the prior year, averaging roughly $86 per purchase. Dollar-denominated stablecoins now lead activity, with USDC accounting for about 58% of volume and USDT for 26%, compared to 48% and 7% respectively a year earlier.
The shift toward digital dollars marks a significant change from early 2024, when euro-backed stablecoins dominated at 88% of volume. Settlement activity has also diversified across blockchains: Optimism now carries approximately 29% of spend, Solana 19%, and Base 19%, while Gnosis has contracted to roughly 2%. Nearly all transaction volume routes through Visa's network infrastructure, which converts stablecoins to local currency at point of sale, rendering transactions indistinguishable to merchants.
Absolute scale remains modest relative to traditional card networks, which process trillions monthly. Still unresolved is whether growth will accelerate as stablecoins achieve broader adoption in global finance, or whether regulatory and competitive pressures will constrain expansion of card-based crypto spending.