Visa and Mesh bring crypto closer to checkout
Visa has partnered with crypto payments network Mesh to enable consumers to spend cryptocurrency and stablecoin balances at more than 175 million merchant locations worldwide, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent, citing Mesh’s announcement.
The collaboration will allow users of participating digital wallets and platforms to pay in stores and online without first transferring funds to a bank account or loading a separate payment card.
A Visa payment credential will be created in the background, enabling purchases at standard contactless terminals and online checkouts. Mesh will manage transaction funding and conversion, while merchants receive conventional payments through their existing systems.
“We think your money should be spendable right where it already lives,” Mesh CEO and co-founder Bam Azizi said.
Visa’s acceptance network spans more than 200 countries and territories. Participating platforms will connect through a single Mesh integration, with Mesh handling customer onboarding and identity verification.
Merchants will not need new hardware or changes to their checkout processes.
The service’s initial availability, supported devices and participating platforms have yet to be announced. Mesh said those details would follow once rollout plans are finalized.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov had instructed officials to develop a mechanism for supplying Kazakhstan’s cryptocurrency mining centers with electricity from gas- and coal-fired power plants.