#StablecoinPayments

This week, Visa is partnering with a lesser-known but ambitious fintech startup, Bridge, to launch a stablecoin-backed card in six Latin American countries. The word "backed" here is very important - it means dollars, just in digital form. USDC, to be more precise. And now, a Peruvian citizen can go to the store to buy watermelon, pay with stablecoin, and the seller will receive pesos. And all this - through Visa.

Wait a minute... Do you understand what this means?

150 million merchants are now accepting digital dollars from citizens who have never had a normal bank account. This is not just fintech. This is a reboot of the financial system.

Inflation? Thank you, we are in the digital world.

In countries like Argentina, where inflation exceeds 200% per year, the idea of saving in Argentine pesos looks like trying to hold water in a sieve. And this is where the alternative emerges: stablecoins. Digital dollars unaffected by the whims of the local central bank, which, it could be said, few people trust.

And this is not a joke. Just in 2022, the transaction volume in stablecoins worldwide reached $6.8 trillion - more than PayPal or Mastercard. And yes, Latin America is one of the most active regions.

Mastercard is not sitting idly by. Of course.

Competition is a driver of progress. Therefore, Mastercard, hearing Visa's moves, quickly released their crypto card: partnerships with Circle (the issuer of USDC), Paxos, and Nuvei. Their mission? To turn every smartphone and plastic card into a gateway to receive stablecoins. It doesn't matter where you are - in Brazil, Colombia, or on the beaches of Tulum - now you can pay for purchases with stablecoins, which will soon be converted into local currency. Magic? No, just crypto.

While the US discusses CBDC, Latin America is already using digital dollars.