TheBlock
Mesh has partnered with Visa to let users spend cryptocurrency and stablecoin balances held in participating wallet apps at more than 175 million merchant locations worldwide. The integration provisions a Visa credential behind the scenes, with Mesh handling transaction funding and conversion at the moment of payment, so users never need to sell or transfer assets beforehand.
"Crypto never had a spending problem, it has a last-mile problem, and until now, closing it meant getting a separate card," said Bam Azizi, CEO and co-founder of Mesh. "Mesh handles the funding and conversion, so a balance becomes purchasing power at the moment of payment, with nothing for the user to move and nothing for the merchant to change."
Initial availability, supported devices and participating platforms for the linkup have yet to be announced. Mesh is the crypto payments infrastructure firm behind PayPal's "Pay with Crypto" launch, and in January it hit unicorn status after a $75 million Series C led by Dragonfly. By August 2025, backing from PayPal Ventures, Coinbase Ventures and others had lifted its total funding past $130 million.
Why it matters
The deal removes the last practical friction in crypto payments: needing a dedicated card product to touch the existing merchant rail. By embedding a Visa credential inside wallet apps, Mesh turns idle balances into purchasing power without changing anything on the merchant side, which is the condition for scale.
It is also the latest extension of Visa's steady push to connect crypto holdings to its native network. In April, Visa and WeFi planned to let users spend digital assets while keeping custody of their crypto, and last year Visa partnered with Bridge to let developers issue stablecoin-funded Visa cards.
Market impact
For stablecoin issuers and wallet providers, access to 175 million merchant locations without a card spin-off is a meaningful distribution unlock. Watch for which participating platforms sign on first, and for competitive responses from other card networks as Visa entrenches its crypto checkout lane.
Frequently asked questions
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How does the Mesh-Visa integration let users spend crypto?
A Visa credential is provisioned inside participating wallet apps, and Mesh handles transaction funding and conversion at the moment of payment, so users never need to sell or transfer assets beforehand.
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How many merchants accept crypto payments through the Mesh-Visa deal?
The integration reaches more than 175 million merchant locations worldwide, both in-store and online, through Visa's existing acceptance network.
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Do merchants need to change anything to accept the crypto payments?
No. Mesh CEO Bam Azizi said there is "nothing for the merchant to change," since transactions settle through the standard Visa rail behind the scenes.
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When will the Mesh-Visa crypto spending feature be available?
Initial availability, supported devices and participating platforms have not yet been announced by Mesh or Visa.
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What is Mesh and how much has it raised?
Mesh is a crypto payments infrastructure firm behind PayPal's "Pay with Crypto" launch. It hit unicorn status after a $75 million Series C led by Dragonfly in January, lifting total funding past $130 million.
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