MiniPay has launched a Visa debit card powered by Gnosis Pay, connecting stablecoin users in emerging markets to global commerce.
The digital debit card allows eligible users across the European Economic Area, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to spend stablecoin balances at merchant locations in 46 countries, with no cryptocurrency knowledge required at the point of sale. Merchants receive payment in their local currency, and no crypto-specific setup is needed on their end.
The card is issued through Monavate's regulated card issuing platform and operates on Gnosis Pay's infrastructure, which connects MiniPay's stablecoin balances to Visa's global payment network. Gnosis Pay also serves as programme manager, overseeing the technical and compliance layer across multiple markets. Users can add the card to Apple Pay and Google Pay for contactless mobile payments. The card carries no monthly or annual fees, with transactions subject to a nominal foreign exchange fee.
Building on a growing stablecoin payments ecosystem
According to the official press release, the demand for faster, lower-friction ways to save, send, and spend has grown in emerging markets, where users are increasingly holding value in stablecoins but have faced limited access to global payment infrastructure. The MiniPay Card addresses that gap directly.
The launch follows the earlier introduction of Virtual Bank Accounts, a feature that allows users to receive money into their wallets in stablecoins. The card extends that capability, enabling users to spend those balances in person or online at more than 175 million merchant locations wherever Visa is accepted. MiniPay already integrates with local payment rails, including M-Pesa in Kenya, OPay in Nigeria, and Mercado Pago in Latin America.
Friederike Ernst, founder of Gnosis, described the card programme as addressing a key gap in stablecoin usability: giving users in markets such as Nigeria or Kenya the ability to spend digital dollar holdings at checkout in another country, without any requirement for merchants to engage with cryptocurrency.
Marek Olszewski, CEO of Celo Core and co-founder of the Celo blockchain on which MiniPay is built, said the launch demonstrates the blockchain's capacity to support real-world stablecoin adoption at scale, with Visa and Gnosis Pay now part of the Celo ecosystem.
In selected markets, the MiniPay Card will offer cashback in digital assets, including Tether Gold (XAUt0), USDT, and USDC.
