Stripe expands into stablecoins with accounts for users in 100+ countries

Stripe, the global payments giant, has rolled out stablecoin accounts for users across more than 100 countries, the firm announced on Wednesday at its Stripe Sessions event.

Companies can now hold, receive and spend US dollar-denominated stablecoin account balances, similar to how a traditional fiat bank account works.

The accounts will support USDC and USDB, a newer stablecoin issued by Bridge, a lending platform for stablecoins that Stripe acquired earlier this year.

These multi-currency accounts allow users to hold GBP, EUR and USD funds. By offering a more secure way to store value, the financial services firm enables businesses—especially those in regions with fragile banking infrastructure—to transact more easily globally.

Stripe expands its role to become a global financial network

Stripe built its reputation by helping online businesses accept credit card payments, but this new offering signals a significant evolution in its role. With the introduction of stablecoin accounts, the firm is highlighting that it’s no longer just a payment processor—it’s laying the foundation for a seamless, borderless global financial system.

This launch comes at a time when stablecoins are increasingly seen as a store of value and a medium of exchange, especially in regions without critical financial and communication infrastructure.

This transition puts Stripe in a digital financial ecosystem where companies can not only take payments but also hold money, make vendor payments, manage treasury operations, and now, do it all with fiat and crypto assets.

Highlighting problems like invoice fraud, phishing attacks and splintered payment rails, John Collison, co-founder and president of Stripe, argued that the firm’s advancement into stablecoins presents a safer, more productive and programmable future for business finance.

For example, stablecoins, which were once mainly the domain of crypto traders, are increasingly viewed as a tool for real-world commerce. They offer speedy settlement, lower costs and protection against swings in the value of a currency — particularly helpful in markets susceptible to hyperinflation or banking instability.

Bridge, Stripe’s in-house stablecoin platform, is the core premise behind the new service. Bridge facilitates currency exchange among regular businesses who want to operate across crypto and fiat payment rail without fearing what’s happening under the hood.

Ramp and Visa team up with Stripe to streamline stablecoin use

Corporate partners are already rolling out the initiative. Ramp, a fast-growing startup that sells corporate cards, is one of the first to offer the product.

Ramp is launching corporate cards backed by stablecoin to meet companies’ demand for faster settlement times, reduced FX fees and protection against local currency depreciation. These cards will connect to Ramp’s digital wallets, with Stripe’s Bridge providing behind-the-scenes currency conversions.

A partnership with global payments giant Visa also backs the effort. Visa will facilitate broadening the reach of these stablecoin cards, permitting companies to transact everywhere Visa is accepted, even if the backend payment uses stablecoins.

This partnership is one piece of Stripe’s overall strategy to transform itself into a platform for programmable, interoperable money. In addition to its stablecoin work, Stripe is entering the artificial intelligence world.

At Stripe Sessions, the company also introduced a new AI tool that developers can use to integrate AI-powered agents into apps. These agents can make user purchases — features such as automatically turning to-do list items into one-click, AI-initiated purchases could be made possible.

Stripe will also become the key payment partner for Visa’s AI agent program.

Gaybrick described artificial intelligence and stablecoins as the “twin revolutions,” noting that AI is transforming how people live and work, while stablecoins represent the first truly global and fully programmable form of money ever seen.