Layer-1 blockchain developer Solayer has launched a physical Visa-compatible payment card that allows users to spend USDC balances through in-store, online, and contactless transactions, as well as ATM withdrawals in supported regions. The card is ordered through the Solayer Pay app — free for existing users and $20 annual activation fee for new users — and enables USDC spending globally through Visa's payment infrastructure directly from Solayer Pay accounts. The physical card expands the existing Solayer Pay platform, which launched in April 2025 under the name Emerald Card and initially rolled out to 40,000 users across more than 100 countries for storing, transferring, and spending digital assets through Visa-linked infrastructure. Solayer develops infiniSVM, a layer-1 network compatible with the Solana Virtual Machine designed for high-throughput on-chain applications, making it one of the more technically ambitious teams to enter the stablecoin payment card space rather than purely a payments-focused startup.The card represents a meaningful step in the broader thesis that stablecoins can function as everyday spending instruments rather than purely as trading or yield vehicles.

For users who hold USDC — whether earned through DeFi activity, received as payment, or held as a dollar substitute — the ability to spend that balance directly through a Visa card at any of the tens of millions of merchants worldwide that accept Visa removes the friction of converting to fiat before spending. The conversion happens invisibly at the point of transaction, meaning the user experience is identical to using any other debit card while the settlement layer underneath is fundamentally different. Existing Solayer Pay users can access the card without additional cost, which lowers the barrier to trial for the 40,000-plus users already on the platform and provides Solayer with a pathway to demonstrating real-world spending volume alongside its blockchain infrastructure story.