How can digital assets be truly used for consumption? Gate Card connects on-chain assets with real-world payment scenarios

The cryptocurrency industry in 2026 is at a structural value inflection point. Market focus has shifted from "the next hundredfold coin" to "applications with millions of users," and capital and innovation resources are flowing at scale into use cases that solve real-world problems.

In this transition, PayFi is becoming the core engine connecting on-chain assets with real-world consumption. In 2025, the annual trading volume of stablecoins was approximately $33 trillion, surpassing the combined $25.5 trillion processed by Visa and Mastercard. By April 2026, the total supply of stablecoins exceeded $321 billion, and more than 130 Visa-supported stablecoin wallet card projects have been launched. These data indicate that the infrastructure for crypto payments has matured.

However, a long-standing pain point remains unresolved: users have ample digital assets in their wallets but find it difficult to use them directly for daily spending. Gate’s Gate Card was launched specifically to address this issue—connecting on-chain assets directly to a global merchant network.

From On-Chain Holdings to Daily Spending: Payment Revolution under PayFi Trends

Over the past few years, crypto assets have transitioned from fringe assets to mainstream financial tools. The approval and operation of spot Bitcoin ETFs in 2024 marked the official acceptance of crypto assets as a legitimate alternative asset class within traditional finance. By 2026, the industry is at a structural inflection point: practical value is systematically surpassing speculative value.

Against this backdrop, PayFi is becoming a key bridge connecting Web2 and Web3. The core logic of PayFi is not about the payment form itself but about reconstructing the relationship between payments, settlements, and financial services by leveraging the "time value of money." Industry analysis and market discussions suggest that PayFi is evolving into the next-generation payment and financial engine, with cross-border payments being the most mature application scenario—settlement cycles compressed from days to minutes, with overall costs reduced by an order of magnitude compared to traditional systems.

In 2025, stablecoins’ annual trading volume reached $33 trillion, significantly strengthening their payment attributes. During the same period, Visa’s payment transactions totaled about $14 trillion, and Visa plus Mastercard combined about $25.5 trillion. The scale of stablecoin transactions has exceeded the total of the two major international card organizations, indicating that blockchain settlement layers are becoming a parallel payment infrastructure alongside SWIFT and credit card networks. The Morph report states that 60% of enterprise stablecoin transactions are business-to-business payments. Morph predicts that by the end of 2026, the annual stablecoin settlement volume could exceed $50 trillion.

Meanwhile, converting crypto assets for daily consumption has remained a core pain point. Users’ wallet balances are sufficient, but they face difficulties using assets directly in physical merchant transactions, online shopping, or cross-border payments. This gap stems from the fragmented crypto payment infrastructure—transferring assets from wallets to trading accounts, selling for fiat, withdrawing to bank accounts, and completing purchases via traditional bank cards—taking hours to days and incurring multiple fees.

Price volatility of crypto assets also raises additional concerns for consumers. According to Gate market data, as of June 9, 2026, Bitcoin was priced at $63,090.3, with a -33.74% change over the past year and a -10.73% change over the past 30 days; Ethereum was priced at $1,688.24, with a -15.58% change over the past year and -5.70% over 30 days; GT was priced at $6.37, with a -63.01% change over the past year and +1.13% over the past week. For users holding volatile assets, consumption behavior may involve temporal uncertainty.

The development direction of PayFi aims to solve these issues. In March 2026, Visa announced the launch of crypto credit cards. In May 2026, Tron founder Justin Sun publicly stated that crypto cards are the "next structural evolution stage" of stablecoin distribution mechanisms. These signals indicate that crypto assets are evolving from trading tools into consumption assets embedded in daily payment scenarios.

Gate Card: A Payment Tool Connecting On-Chain Assets with Global Consumption

Gate Card is a digital asset payment card launched by Gate, directly linked to the Gate Pay payment account. Users can complete online or offline transactions at over 150 million Visa-accepting merchants worldwide without manually converting digital assets into fiat currency.

The card offers both virtual and physical forms. Virtual cards can typically be activated within 3 to 5 minutes after approval, while physical cards support chip-insertion, contactless payments, and ATM withdrawals. Users can access the card selection interface via the Gate Card web portal or the Gate Pay mobile app, choose the appropriate card type, and complete identity verification and approval steps.

Applicants for Gate Card must complete Level 2 personal identity verification. The card is only available to users in non-restricted countries or regions. Whether an applicant can apply, the card types available, and specific features depend on the verification results, residence, partner issuing institutions’ review, and compliance requirements. Gate reserves the right to reject any application based on internal risk assessments.

Currently, Gate Card supports four digital assets for daily spending: USDT, BTC, ETH, and GT. The system automatically performs asset conversion and settlement at the moment of transaction, so users do not need to pre-exchange assets into fiat. The card limit is based on the available balance in the Gate Pay account, which users can top up by purchasing digital assets via Gate or transferring from other wallets or platforms to their Gate account.

From a cost perspective, both virtual and physical Gate Cards are free of issuance, monthly, and inactivity fees. Cryptocurrency exchange fees are 0.90% for transactions of $2 or more, and $0.05 for transactions below $2. Non-USD transactions incur a 0.40% foreign exchange fee. This fee structure is competitive within the crypto payment card industry and advantageous for cross-border spending scenarios.

In terms of mobile payment integration, Gate Card supports linking with Apple Pay and Google Pay, enabling contactless payments via mobile devices. This design aligns the daily spending experience of crypto assets with mainstream payment tools, lowering the barrier for traditional users.

Points and Cashback System: Spending as Asset Accumulation

Gate Card has established a points and cashback system linked to VIP levels and spending amounts. Cashback rates can reach up to 5%, and points can be exchanged for USDT or GT, creating a closed loop of "spending—cashback—reinvestment."

Card Levels and Cashback Structure:

T0 level corresponds to VIP 0 to VIP 4, with a minimum monthly spend of $0, a cashback rate of 1.00%, a monthly points redemption cap of 500 points, and a monthly cashback cap of 5 USDT.

T1 level corresponds to VIP 5 to VIP 7, with a minimum monthly spend of $500, cashback rate of 1.00%, a points redemption cap of 5,000 points, and a cashback cap of 50 USDT.

T2 level corresponds to VIP 8, with a minimum monthly spend of $1,500, cashback rate of 2.00%, a points redemption cap of 10,000 points, and a cashback cap of 100 USDT.

T3 level corresponds to VIP 9, with a minimum monthly spend of $5,000, cashback rate of 3.00%, a points redemption cap of 15,000 points, and a cashback cap of 150 USDT.

T4 level corresponds to VIP 10 to VIP 14, with a minimum monthly spend of $10,000, cashback rate of 5.00%, a points redemption cap of 25,000 points, and a cashback cap of 250 USDT.

The points system uses a fixed exchange rate: 100 points = 1 USDT. Users earn 1 to 5 points per dollar spent (depending on card level). The standard points cap is 50,000 points. Points are valid indefinitely. Manual redemption starts from a minimum of 50 points (0.5 USDT).

Card upgrades follow a dual-track mechanism: users can reach the required thresholds through spending or directly attain the corresponding VIP level, with the higher of the two benefits applying. Level assessments are automatic and take effect the following month.

Points Accumulation Rules and Notes:

Standard spending accrues points proportionally to the card level, but with clear exceptions: non-spending transactions such as fiat payments (e.g., direct debit from fiat accounts), fees, management charges, recharges, withdrawals, and refunds do not earn points.

Transactions with certain merchant categories are also excluded from points accumulation, including: financial institutions’ purchases, services, and bond repayments; non-financial stored-value card purchases and recharges; foreign exchange, drafts, traveler's checks, and bond repayments involving non-financial institutions; remittance transactions.

Daily, monthly, and annual limits apply to card spending. For T4 level, daily spending limit is $500k, with an annual limit of $330k. ATM cash withdrawals are limited to $5,000 per day, with a maximum of 10 withdrawals per day, and a per-transaction cap of $5,000.

Spending Value Loop and Gate Card in the PayFi Ecosystem

The cashback mechanism of Gate Card redefines spending as on-chain asset accumulation. After completing payments globally via Gate Card, users can exchange points for USDT or GT, transforming spending from a one-way expense into an asset-building activity.

Stablecoins, RWA, and AI are jointly shaping the fundamental form of PayFi—stablecoins gradually evolving into cross-chain, cross-system universal settlement layers; RWA bringing real-world assets on-chain for 24/7 settlement and liquidity; AI driving the payment system toward dynamic risk control and automated decision-making. Regulatory developments, RWA implementation capabilities, and AI maturity will determine the competitive landscape of 2026. Clear regulatory frameworks, scalable on-chain asset capabilities, and AI-driven dynamic financial functions are reshaping core PayFi competitive advantages.

Within this framework, Gate Card acts as a physical bridge from on-chain assets to global consumption. Meanwhile, Gate officially launched Gate for AI Agent in 2026, the industry’s first infrastructure integrating centralized trading, on-chain transactions, wallet signatures, real-time information, and on-chain data capabilities within a single platform and interface—an AI agent infrastructure. The programmability of Gate Card’s settlement capabilities provides the foundation for autonomous AI payments—marking a shift from human-centric payment tools toward automated payment channels.

With a 1% fee structure, cashback rates for T2 and above levels can cover transaction costs and generate positive margins. Web2 and Web3 are accelerating their integration, with traditional and emerging payment gateways like Visa, PayPal, and Neobank becoming key bridges for PayFi’s mainstream adoption and everyday commerce. As a payment tool connecting on-chain assets with real-world spending, Gate Card’s product positioning aligns closely with PayFi’s development trajectory.

Conclusion

The true value of crypto assets lies not just in holding but in their usability—when and where they can be spent. The essence of PayFi is not about creating new financial forms but enabling existing digital assets to function in the real world.

The scale of stablecoin trading surpassing traditional card organizations, Visa’s launch of crypto credit cards, and AI agents gaining autonomous payment capabilities—all point in the same direction: crypto assets are shifting from "digital gold" to "digital cash." Gate Card, with up to 5% cashback, acceptance at 150 million merchants worldwide, four types of digital assets for direct payment, dual upgrade mechanisms, and permanently valid points, provides a practical bridge connecting on-chain and off-chain worlds in this transition.

The tools for consumption are evolving, and the boundaries of payments are dissolving. The real question for on-chain assets may be shifting from "how to hold" to "how to use."