Tangem, a company specialized in the development of hardware wallets for cryptocurrencies, announced the launch of Tangem Pay, a non-custodial payment account that will allow USDC coin (USDC) to be spent on the Polygon network, using a virtual Visa card. Distribution will begin gradually at the end of November, in the United States, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
Unlike traditional cards, funds on Tangem Pay remain on-chain and under the exclusive control of the user. For this, Tangem implemented a hybrid model which combines self-custody of the wallet with the legal requirements necessary to enable regulated cards.
In this way, the payment infrastructure is in charge of the American company Paera LLC, while the identity verification (KYC) is managed by the Rain card issuer, which would not have direct access to the user’s funds.
From Tangem they pointed out that no monthly commissions or transaction fees will be chargedbeyond Polygon gas and standard Visa charges on purchases made outside the United States.
The initial launch will cover 33 jurisdictions in the United States, as well as 29 countries in Latin America—including Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. Likewise, it includes various nations in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Singapore, Australia, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.
The company plans to extend the service to the United Kingdom and the European Union in 2026, adapting to the MiCA (Cryptoasset Markets) regulations. In its initial phase the card will be only virtualalthough the firm plans to introduce physical versions later.
This push toward stablecoin adoption is also reflected in Visa’s own initiatives. As reported by CriptoNoticias, in May the company partnered with Bridge to allow users to make purchases with balances in USDT and other stable currencies, at merchants that accept their card.