Lydian has unveiled the Lydian Card, a Visa Platinum offering that supports direct spending of over 300 different digital assets worldwide. The product, issued in partnership with Rain, brings users a way to convert cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins and major coins, into everyday purchasing power on Visa’s global payment network.
Lydian Card expands global crypto usability
Available in both physical and instant-issue virtual formats, the Lydian Card can be used at more than 150 million merchants wherever Visa is accepted. Holders can fund, manage, and monitor their card through a dedicated app and online dashboard, aiming to make spending digital assets as smooth as possible.
The development follows a notable uptick in crypto-linked payment card usage. Industry figures show that monthly crypto card spending has climbed from $100 million at the start of 2023 to over $1.5 billion, highlighting a rapid increase in adoption. Market forecasts also point to a significant rise in digital asset spending, anticipating around a 66% increase in access for users.
The Lydian Card is powered by Rain’s stablecoin-native infrastructure, which facilitates onramps, offramps, and wallet integration. Rain itself has grown rapidly, having reported a 30-fold increase in volume over the past year and securing $250 million in Series C funding, which lifted its company valuation to $1.95 billion.
Industry leaders target seamless crypto payments
Lydian, a fintech company focused on creating accessible digital asset payment solutions, works to bridge the gap between crypto ownership and practical use. Its launch of the Visa Platinum co-branded card marks a push to simplify how holders use cryptocurrency in daily life.
Rain operates as a technology platform specialized in stablecoin processing and crypto payments infrastructure, serving as the issuing partner for the Lydian Visa Platinum Card. The company has established itself across the sector as it seeks to improve merchant and consumer access to digital assets globally.
Carl Grimstad, CEO of Lydian, highlighted user frustrations with earlier crypto payment options and the ambition behind the new card:
“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.”
Farooq Malik, CEO and co-founder of Rain, pointed to the broader challenges and goals for real-world crypto spending:
“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.”
The Lydian Visa Platinum Card enters a market where crypto-linked card solutions are seeing rapid growth, driven by increasing demand from digital asset holders seeking practical payment options worldwide.
