Consumer Crypto Spending Grows in 2026 as Visa Reports Major Card Growth

Consumer use of crypto-linked payment cards continued to gain traction heading into 2026, following a sharp rise in spending volumes reported by Visa for 2025. Data from Dune Analytics shows that spending across Visa-backed crypto cards increased steadily throughout last year, a significant growth.

Across six Visa-partnered crypto card programs, total net spending rose from $14.6 million in January 2025 to $91.3 million by December. The increase represents a 525% jump over the year and reflects growing consumer comfort with paying directly from crypto wallets at traditional points of sale.

The cards are issued by a mix of crypto payment platforms and decentralized finance projects, including EtherFi, Cypher, GnosisPay, Avici Money, Exa App, and Moonwell.

EtherFi and Cypher Lead Visa Crypto Card Spending

Among the tracked programs, EtherFi recorded the highest spending volume, accounting for $55.4 million in transactions during 2025.

That figure placed it well ahead of Cypher, which ranked second with $20.5 million in total spend. The remaining card issuers posted smaller but consistent increases, suggesting broader participation across the ecosystem rather than growth driven by a single outlier.

Monthly spending data shows a gradual rise throughout the year, with no major spikes or sharp reversals. Analysts say this pattern points to routine usage rather than one-off events.

Commenting on the data, Polygon researcher Alex Obchakevich noted that crypto card spending increasingly reflects regular financial behavior, indicating that crypto-linked cards are moving beyond experimental use cases.

Visa Expands Stablecoin Infrastructure

Visa’s growing role in crypto payments has been supported by its expanding stablecoin infrastructure.

The payments firm now enables stablecoin settlement across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, and Stellar. This setup allows card issuers to convert crypto balances to fiat in real time during transactions, while still relying on Visa’s global merchant network.

In December 2025, Visa also launched a stablecoin advisory team focused on helping banks, merchants, and fintech companies design and manage stablecoin-based products.

The initiative highlights Visa’s view that blockchain-based settlement and programmable money are becoming more relevant to mainstream payments.

With spending volumes rising and infrastructure continuing to expand, crypto card usage is expected to grow further in 2026. While volumes remain concentrated in the U.S., Europe, and parts of the Asia-Pacific region, the steady increase suggests consumer crypto spending is becoming more normalized.

How sustained this trend will be may depend on broader market conditions and continued integration between crypto platforms and established payment networks.

Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview