Visa crypto card transactions increase by 525% annually: Payment scenario applications officially move towards scale

In 2025, the crypto payment card market experienced a landmark turning point. According to Dune Analytics data, the net expenditure on six blockchain project crypto cards issued in partnership with Visa rose from $14.6 million in January to $91.3 million in December, representing a total growth of 525% for the year. This not only set a new record for the scale of crypto payment applications but also marked a key shift in crypto assets from speculative tools to practical payment methods.

Explosive Growth in the Payment Card Market

The real story behind the data

This 525% increase may seem astonishing, but a closer look reveals more insights. From January to December, the average monthly net expenditure increased by about $880,000, reaching over $7.6 million in monthly average spending by year-end. This accelerating growth curve reflects the increasing recognition and acceptance of crypto payment cards in the market.

The six projects participating in this market show significant performance differences:

EtherFi’s absolute leading position is noteworthy. Its Visa credit card spending accounts for 60% of the total market, indicating that decentralized finance projects have a natural user base and trust advantage in the payment card sector.

Why these projects?

The six projects mentioned in the news cover two major types of crypto payments: GnosisPay and Cypher represent specialized payment platforms, while EtherFi, Avici Money, Exa App, and Moonwell are financial applications within the DeFi ecosystem. This combination reflects a trend—crypto payments are no longer a single-track competition but are increasingly integrated with payment infrastructure and financial applications.

Three Signs of Mature Payment Scenario Applications

From theory to practice

The growth of Visa crypto cards in 2025 essentially validates the feasibility of using crypto assets for daily payments. Related news indicates that Visa has officially started processing transactions on Ethereum, meaning traditional payment giants are no longer mere spectators but active participants in crypto payments.

From the competitive analysis of the payment track in related news, crypto payment cards are directly competing with traditional payment systems (credit cards, mobile payments). Although the annual transaction volume of over $90 million is still insignificant compared to Visa’s global daily transaction volume, the rapid growth indicates the market is expanding quickly.

User base expansion

Behind the 525% growth rate is a rapid increase in user numbers. Crypto payment cards are transitioning from niche tools to relatively mainstream applications, demonstrating genuine demand from holders for such products. This demand is not driven by short-term speculation but by long-term holders seeking practical utility for their assets.

Improvement of stablecoin infrastructure

According to related news, stablecoins have become a new financial infrastructure, with transaction volumes reaching $9 trillion in 2025. The explosive growth of crypto payment cards is built on the increasingly完善 stablecoin infrastructure. Users can quickly exchange stablecoins for fiat currency for daily consumption, greatly lowering the barriers to using crypto payments.

Market Landscape and Competitive Dynamics

Differentiation among projects

EtherFi’s absolute lead in spending ($55.4 million) compared to Cypher ($20.5 million) reflects a clear gap. This differentiation indicates varying levels of user trust in different projects and suggests that the crypto payment card market is still in a relatively concentrated stage. Leading projects hold a relatively stable advantage.

Competition with traditional payment systems

Related news mentions that the payment sector faces challenges from traditional payment systems. However, seeing Visa actively embrace crypto payments and launch partnered crypto cards signals that traditional payment giants are adjusting strategies—they are no longer opposing crypto payments but integrating with them. This attitude shift is itself an important sign of crypto payments moving toward mainstream acceptance.

Outlook for 2026

Continued infrastructure development

Related forecasts predict that in 2026, the crypto market will enter an “industrialization stage,” with stablecoins becoming the internet’s foundational layer for cross-border settlements, remittances, and payroll payments. This means the crypto payment card market will benefit from more robust infrastructure support, further reducing usage costs.

Expansion of application scenarios

The 525% growth in payment cards indicates that there is still huge potential for expanding use cases. Currently focused on online consumption, future growth may extend to cross-border payments, B2B settlements, and other broader application scenarios.

Potential market size

From a personal perspective, although the annual transaction volume of over $90 million is still very limited compared to the global payment market, this growth rate suggests that crypto payment cards are in the early stages of rapid expansion. If this momentum continues, the market size in 2026 could see a significant leap.

Summary

The 525% growth in Visa crypto card transactions in 2025 is not just a number but an important milestone marking crypto payments’ transition from theoretical validation to practical application. Projects like EtherFi surpassing tens of millions of dollars in consumption demonstrate that user demand for crypto payments has shifted from conceptual to actual spending.

The key points are threefold: first, the crypto payment card market is scaling up, reflecting a genuine increase in the practicality of crypto assets; second, the participation and integration attitude of traditional payment giants open the door for further development of crypto payments; third, the improvement of stablecoin infrastructure is providing solid support for payment scenario applications.

The key focus for 2026 is whether this growth momentum can be maintained and whether new payment scenarios can be developed. Based on current trends, the outlook for the crypto payment card market remains promising.