Quantoz Payments has joined forces with Visa to become a direct Visa principal member, which will enable the issuance of virtual Visa debit cards for spending e-money and stablecoins.
This partnership allows Quantoz to issue virtual Visa debit cards and act as a BIN sponsor for third-party fintech companies and platforms. Consequently, these partners’ customers can use digital money wherever Visa is accepted.
Quantoz will support the issuance of virtual Visa cards that are usable online, in-store, and via mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Balances held with Quantoz represent spendable balances on the card, enabling fintech companies to extend the utility of regulated digital money into everyday payment experiences.
Principal Membership Facilitates BIN Sponsorship
Aarnoud Star Busmann, CEO of Quantoz Payments, emphasizes that becoming a Visa principal member is a significant milestone. This status allows regulated digital money to be used in daily payments while simplifying the process for fintech companies and platforms. By handling regulatory, operational, and technical requirements, Quantoz helps partners launch branded card products that integrate compliant digital money with Visa’s widely accepted payment network.
According to Jos van de Kerkhof, Visa Country Manager for the Netherlands, Visa is committed to fostering innovation within the payments ecosystem and supporting new methods of using digital value in trusted payment experiences. Such partnerships help fintech companies explore how regulated digital money can seamlessly integrate with established card infrastructure while maintaining security and compliance standards.
European Market Deployment and Integration
The focus of this partnership is on the European market, enabling fintech and platform partners to embed virtual Visa card issuance directly into their products with flexibility in branding, pricing models, and card controls. As integration progresses, Quantoz plans to collaborate with partners supporting consumer and business payment use cases built on regulated digital money.
Visa principal membership allows payment service providers to issue cards under their own BIN or sponsor card issuance for third parties. Principal members are responsible for transaction processing, settlement, and adherence to Visa operating regulations.
BIN sponsorship lets non-bank entities issue payment cards by partnering with licensed institutions that hold principal membership. Sponsors handle regulatory compliance, card network relationships, and settlement processes while partners manage customer relationships and product design.
Stablecoin Integration with Card Networks
The card network integration will enable users of stablecoins to spend their digital currency holdings at merchants accepting traditional payment cards without merchant awareness of the underlying funding sources. At transaction time, stablecoin balances convert to fiat currency for settlement through Visa’s infrastructure.
Alternative approaches to stablecoin spending include cryptocurrency debit cards offered by providers such as Crypto.com, Binance, and Coinbase, which typically partner with card issuers rather than holding direct principal membership.
Visa and Mastercard have also investigated the use of stablecoins for settlements, conducting pilots that allow select partners to settle transactions using USDC stablecoins on blockchain networks instead of traditional correspondent banking channels.
