Lydian Unveils Visa Platinum Crypto Card for Seamless Digital Asset Spending Globally

Lydian has launched the Lydian Card, a co-branded Visa Platinum card issued by Rain, enabling users to spend more than 300 supported digital assets—including stablecoins and major cryptocurrencies—across Visa’s global merchant network.

The card is available in both physical and instant-issue virtual formats and can be used wherever Visa is accepted, granting access to more than 150 million merchants worldwide, according to a release seen by Bitcoin Magazine.

Users can fund, manage, and track transactions through an app or online dashboard, streamlining the conversion of digital assets into everyday purchasing power.

Rapid Growth in Crypto-Linked Payment Cards

The launch aligns with a surge in crypto-linked payment cards. Industry data cited by Lydian shows monthly crypto card spending has jumped from $100 million in early 2023 to over $1.5 billion today, with forecasts suggesting digital asset spending access could expand by 66%. This trend reflects a shift among crypto holders from passive storage toward active spending.

Leveraging Rain’s Stablecoin-Native Infrastructure

Lydian is leveraging Rain’s stablecoin-native infrastructure, which supports wallets, cards, onramps, and offramps. Rain recently reported significant growth, including a 30-fold expansion in the past year and a $250 million Series C round that brought its valuation to $1.95 billion.

Reducing Friction in Crypto Payments

Executives from both companies emphasized the goal of reducing friction in crypto payments and making digital assets usable in everyday commerce through existing Visa infrastructure.

“Digital asset holders have long struggled to use their funds in everyday life. Converting tokens manually, navigating limited merchant acceptance, and wrestling with clunky user experiences has made spending crypto more complicated than it needs to be. The Lydian Card turns this all on its head.

Whether tapping in-store or making a purchase online, the Lydian Card makes it simple to spend digital assets. Supported by Visa’s global network and powered by Rain’s infrastructure, the card enables a seamless shift from digital ownership to everyday use, helping users and merchants participate in the $4 trillion digital asset economy.”

— Carl Grimstad, CEO of Lydian

“Tokenized money and digital assets hold huge potential, but mainstream adoption only happens if spending them in the real-world is actually easy to do. Historically, getting this right has been tricky and complex.

By using Rain’s on-chain card issuance solution, Lydian is making it convenient for cardholders to use their digital assets everywhere Visa is accepted — a critical step toward unlocking continued usage around the world.”

— Farooq Malik, CEO and Co-Founder of Rain

This post first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.