Reap Becomes Visa Principal Member in Mexico, Expands Stablecoin Card Issuing Globally

WHY THIS MATTERS: The ability of a non-traditional financial provider to secure Visa Principal Issuer membership in Mexico is a powerful indicator of the mainstream convergence between legacy payment networks and the digital asset economy. For global commerce, this move is crucial: it demonstrates a fully regulated pathway for leveraging the efficiency of stablecoin payments to power conventional card programs. As Latin America and Asia represent critical corridors for remittances and corporate cross-border disbursements, direct issuer status allows platforms to bypass traditional banking sponsors, speeding up market entry and giving customers granular control over their payment infrastructure. This development is not just about a new product; it signals the maturity of compliant digital asset models that are ready to tackle bottlenecks in global transactions and solidify the future of programmable money.

Reap, a global technology company offering stablecoin-native payments infrastructure, today announced it has been granted Visa Principal Issuer Membership in Mexico. This marks a milestone in Reap’s global expansion into the Americas and strengthens the company’s ability to bring its industry leading credit card issuing solution to serve businesses worldwide. 

Reap is already a Visa Principal Issuer in Hong Kong and now becomes one of a few stablecoin payments companies globally to have a Visa Principal Issuer License in both Asia and the Americas. A Visa Principal Member license is typically granted to large established financial institutions and specialized payment companies like Reap that can directly manage risk, settle funds with Visa, and can meet strict regulatory standards. It enables the member to connect to Visa’s global network to issue cards and build customized payment products, without relying on third-party sponsors. 

With Latin America and Asia currently two of the world’s largest remittance-receiving regions (UNDP, 2025; World Bank Data, 2024), Reap’s global expansion will tap on growing opportunities to support businesses to launch and scale with Visa, and be accepted at more than 150 million merchant locations worldwide. 

Latin America has 57.7 million crypto users and crypto adoption in the region grew 116% in 2024, which represents a fast-growing user base for stablecoin card issuers and card programs to tap into (Stablecoin Insider, 2025). In Asia there is currently US$2.4 trillion of on-chain stablecoin activity in the region, with corporate transactions surging from less than US$100 million in early 2023 to more than US$3 billion by early 2025 (Circle Forum Singapore), 2025). 

“By bringing the efficiency and programmability of stablecoins to regulated card payments, Reap is advancing the future of modern payments to make it seamless, faster, and more accessible for businesses everywhere.” said Daren Guo, Co-Founder, Reap. “Digital payments in the Americas are accelerating, but access to modern financial infrastructure remains uneven, particularly for small and mid-sized businesses looking to go global. As a Visa Principal Member, Reap is providing a single programmable global card issuing solution that enables fintechs and digital platforms to scale and power modern payments.” 

Reap’s stablecoin-powered card issuance solution enables cardholders to retain a seamless payment experience, using stablecoins as credit collateral behind the scenes. The same infrastructure lets recipients spend inbound cross-border funds immediately, while reducing reliance on cash payments and bank transfers. It also provides businesses with a single, programmable toolkit for multi-currency accounts, card program management and global disbursements, simplifying supplier payments and payroll.

FF NEWS TAKE: This absolutely moves the needle, particularly in the complex and rapidly expanding cross-border payments landscape. Reap’s ability to seamlessly bridge regulated card issuing with stablecoin backing provides a competitive advantage for fintechs looking to serve the Asia-Americas corridor. The immediate focus should shift to adoption: how quickly will other digital platforms embed this programmable infrastructure? We should watch for increased competition among principal issuers in regions with high digital asset use, forcing a race toward faster, cheaper, and more transparent corporate payment solutions.