Mesh and Visa Enable Crypto Spending at 175 Million Merchants

Consumers could gain another way to spend cryptocurrency and stablecoins at everyday retailers under a partnership announced by Mesh and Visa on October 19, 2026. The companies plan to connect participating digital wallets to Visa's global payment network, allowing users to pay online and in stores without first transferring funds to a bank account or obtaining a separate payment card.

According to the companies' announcement, Visa's network covers more than 175 million merchant locations across over 200 countries and territories. Visa processed $14.2 trillion in payment volume during fiscal 2025, providing the infrastructure for the proposed service.

Mesh will coordinate funding and currency conversion when customers pay from supported cryptocurrency, stablecoin, or fiat balances. Merchants will receive conventional payments through Visa and will not need additional checkout equipment or changes to their existing payment procedures.

The service is not yet generally available. According to Mesh, the initial launch schedule, participating platforms, supported devices, and regional availability have not been announced as rollout arrangements are finalized.

Mesh CEO and co-founder Bam Azizi said the partnership addresses a practical obstacle that has limited the everyday use of digital assets: converting wallet balances into purchasing power at the point of sale.

"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. We think your money should be spendable right where it already lives. With Visa and Mesh, it is."

Visa said the agreement expands the ways consumers may access digital assets through established payment infrastructure. The company is integrating its existing merchant network with Mesh's transaction-processing capabilities rather than requiring retailers to adopt a new checkout system.

"Consumers increasingly expect to use their money however and wherever they choose," said Rubail Birwadker, Global Head of Growth at Visa. "Working with Mesh helps expand how digital asset balances can connect to the trusted payment experiences consumers and merchants rely on every day."

According to research cited in Mesh's announcement, the global number of cryptocurrency owners reached 774 million as of June 2026. American Banker reported that cryptocurrency card transaction volumes were running at approximately $1.5 billion per month by late 2025, illustrating the existing market for spending digital assets through payment networks.

The proposed integration also changes how digital asset platforms could offer payments. Instead of independently building and operating card programs, participating wallets and financial services companies could connect through Mesh, which would coordinate transaction funding, conversion, customer onboarding, and know-your-customer checks.

Mesh said more than 200 enterprises already use its network, which connects hundreds of wallets, exchanges, and platforms. Its existing partnerships include Tools for Humanity, Félix Pago, MAJORITY, and KAST. The company has also launched Mesh Wallet, designed to enable AI agents to complete real-world transactions using stablecoins.

A separate development involving Visa, BILL, and Billtrust highlights another direction in payment automation. According to Simply Wall St's October 20 report, the companies launched a live pilot allowing AI agents to initiate payments across connected buyer and supplier platforms. The pilot explores automated commercial transactions, while the Mesh partnership focuses on consumer spending from digital asset balances.

Questions remain about how the new consumer payment arrangement will handle refunds, disputed transactions, failed payments, and associated costs. TECHi noted that Mesh's existing descriptions of crypto-native transfers do not establish the terms that will apply to transactions processed through Visa. The companies' announcement did not specify those arrangements.

Visa has previously pursued stablecoin-linked payment products. In a March 3 announcement involving Bridge, the company cited the same network footprint of more than 175 million merchant locations and said Bridge-backed stablecoin cards were live in 18 countries, with expansion to more than 100 planned by year-end. Those figures describe the earlier initiative and its stated target, not a confirmed rollout count for the new Mesh partnership.