TLDR
- Crypto card payment volume reached a record $12.5 billion this year, up 140% since January.
- The total is 247% higher than levels seen in October 2025, per paymentscan.xyz data.
- Stablecoin payment rails and cheaper cross-border transfers are driving most of the growth.
- Jupiter Spend saw activated cards climb 55% quarter over quarter, helped by QR-code payments.
- Fold Holdings and Aven are rolling out new bitcoin-linked cards with different reward and borrowing setups.
Crypto card spending has reached a new high this year. Payment volume processed on crypto cards hit $12.5 billion, according to data from paymentscan.xyz.
That figure marks a 140% jump since the start of January. It is also 247% higher than the volume recorded in October 2025.
BREAKING: The total volume of payments processed on crypto cards has reached a record $12.5 billion, up +140% year-to-date.
This also marks +247% growth compared to levels seen in October 2025.
Continued adoption of stablecoins as a payment rail and the push toward cross-border… pic.twitter.com/8AMiahkD0F
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) October 6, 2026
The data was first shared by The Kobeissi Letter, a financial newsletter that tracks markets. The group called the trend part of a larger shift in how people use digital assets day to day.
“Crypto cards are the next phase of crypto adoption,” The Kobeissi Letter said.
What’s Driving the Growth
Two main factors are behind the increase. The first is heavier use of stablecoins as a payment rail for everyday spending.
Crypto card spending hit a new ATH last week
It was a strong week for many projects:
Strong growth
– VaultLeap: +71.9%
– Ethena Pay: +36.9%
– Avalanche: +25.8%
– Tria: +23.7%
– Wirex One: +19.8%Full heatmap below
Which card did you use last week? pic.twitter.com/p77XTugU6I
— Daniel (@0xDani) October 5, 2026
The second is a push for cross-border payments that are cheaper and faster than older systems. Stablecoins allow money to move between countries without the usual delays or fees tied to banks.
QR-code payments are also gaining ground. More merchants are accepting scan-to-pay setups linked to crypto wallets.
This shift is showing up in usage numbers. Activated cards on Jupiter Spend, one of the largest on-chain card providers, rose 55% from the prior quarter.
New Card Products Enter the Market
The rise in spending comes as more companies launch crypto card products. Fold Holdings started sending out its Fold Bitcoin Credit Card earlier this year.
The rollout began with people on a waitlist. Wider access is expected in stages over the coming weeks and months.
The card runs on the Visa network and is powered by Stripe Issuing. It can be used at 175 million merchants around the world.
Cardholders earn a base rate of 1.5% back in bitcoin. That rate can climb to as much as 4% through activity-based boosts and partner offers.
Paying the monthly bill in bitcoin adds another 0.5% back on top of those rewards.
Aven has taken a different approach with its own product. The company unveiled the Aven Bitcoin Visa Card at the Bitcoin Conference 2026 in Las Vegas.
The card lets holders borrow against their bitcoin instead of selling it. Users can access loans of up to $1 million.
Rates on the card start at 7.99% APR. Repayment terms stretch out as long as 10 years.
Collateral for the loans is held by BitGo, a digital asset custody firm. Coastal Community Bank is the official issuer of the card.
Together, the two products show different paths for how crypto cards can work. One pays rewards in bitcoin for spending, while the other turns bitcoin holdings into borrowing power.
Both companies are betting that demand for crypto-linked payment tools will keep growing as stablecoin use expands across more markets.
