Stablecoins Enter the Payments Era: How Gate Card Is Driving Digital Assets From Trading Tools to Consumer Tools

The digital asset industry has gone through more than ten years, and the scale of global users’ holdings continues to grow. However, a long-standing contradiction has never been effectively resolved: digital assets in users’ wallets can remain sufficient within their accounts, yet they are difficult to use directly for everyday spending. From grocery shopping to online subscriptions, from cross-border payments to ATM cash withdrawals, the channel that brings digital assets into real-economy scenarios has consistently been insufficiently smooth.

This situation is changing. In 2025, the annual trading volume of stablecoins reached approximately $33 trillion, already exceeding the combined total transaction processing volume of Visa and Mastercard of $25.5 trillion. In early 2026, the monthly spending volume of crypto payment cards reached the $500 million to $600 million range, with an annualized operating rate of more than $5 billion. In May 2026, the cumulative transaction volume of crypto payment cards reached approximately $7.8 billion, up about 230% year over year.

Stablecoins are evolving from trading mediums on-chain into payment tools in the real world. As Gate’s digital-asset Visa card, Gate Card is attempting to answer a key question: Can crypto assets truly become a payment tool that is usable in daily life?

Structural Gap Between Holding and Spending

The core contradiction in the digital asset industry is not about asset scale. According to Gate’s market data, as of July 16, 2026:

Bitcoin is quoted at $64,586.1, with a market cap of $1.29 trillion and a market share of 34.97%. Over the past 24 hours, its price changed by -0.37%; over the past 7 days, it changed by +0.72%; over the past 30 days, it changed by +2.46%; over the past year, it changed by -45.66%.

Ethereum is quoted at $1,915.04, with a market cap of $231.12 billion and a market share of 5.82%. Over the past 24 hours, its price changed by +1.79%; over the past 7 days, it changed by -1.01%; over the past 30 days, it changed by +7.31%; over the past year, it changed by -41.04%.

GT is quoted at $6.71, with a market cap of $714 million and a market share of 0.021%. Over the past 24 hours, its price changed by -0.30%; over the past 7 days, it changed by 0.00%; over the past 30 days, it changed by +6.84%; over the past year, it changed by -59.00%.

The problem is this: users hold digital assets worth a great deal, but they have difficulty using them directly for everyday spending. If users want to use USDT for payments, they usually need to go through a complex path: transfer USDT from the wallet to a trading account, sell it for fiat, withdraw it to a bank account, and then complete spending through a traditional bank card. This chain takes from several hours to several days and involves multiple rounds of fees.

Price volatility further increases the difficulty of spending. Bitcoin has changed by -45.66% over the past year, and Ethereum has changed by -41.04% over the past year. Users worry that the assets they spend today may rise substantially in value in the future, and this psychological factor suppresses spending willingness. Stablecoins are different—USDT’s price is stable and naturally fits as a payment medium for daily consumption, but there is a lack of infrastructure for direct spending. It is precisely this gap that creates market demand for crypto payment cards.

Gate Card’s Payment Logic: Eliminate the Middle Steps

Gate Card is a digital-asset Visa card directly linked to a Gate Pay payment account. Its biggest difference from traditional bank cards is that what it connects to behind the scenes is not a bank balance, but a digital-asset account.

After users hold assets such as USDT, BTC, ETH, or GT in their Gate Pay payment account, when they make a purchase, the system automatically completes two things at the moment the transaction occurs: it converts the digital asset the user selects into dollars at the real-time exchange rate, and then it settles with the merchant through the Visa network. The entire process is completed within seconds. What the user experiences is only a normal card-swipe transaction.

This design removes the middle steps of “sell the coin first, then withdraw, and then spend.” In the past, a single everyday purchase might require steps such as transferring digital assets from the wallet to a trading account, selling them for fiat, withdrawing to a bank account, and then completing the purchase via a traditional bank card. Gate Card compresses this chain into one step—swipe the card or bind a digital wallet to finish.

For users who hold stablecoins long-term, Gate Card turns USDT directly from a “held asset” into a “usable asset.” Users do not need to manually exchange in advance; the system automatically performs the corresponding asset conversion based on the payment amount.

Supported Asset Types

Currently, Gate Card supports four digital assets for direct payment: USDT, BTC, ETH, and GT. If users hold these assets in their Gate Pay payment account, they can choose any one of them as the deduction source when spending.

As a stablecoin, USDT is naturally suited to be used as a payment medium for daily spending. Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest crypto assets by market cap, meet users’ needs for long-term holding and also allow direct use for consumption when needed. GT, as the native asset of the Gate ecosystem, gives users more payment choices.

The specific supported coins may vary depending on the card type, issuing institution, or region. The actual support details are subject to the card terms and the information shown on the page corresponding to the card the user holds. In the future, more asset types will be supported progressively according to business development.

Global Payments Network Coverage

Backed by the Visa payment network, Gate Card enables online or offline payments with more than 150 million merchants worldwide that accept Visa. The product covers more than 200 countries and regions, supporting online purchases, offline payments, and ATM cash withdrawals.

Gate Card offers two forms: virtual cards and physical cards. After approval, virtual cards are typically available to activate and use within 3 to 5 minutes. They are suitable for online shopping and support binding Apple Pay and Google Pay, enabling contactless in-person payments through mobile devices. For users who need to spend digital assets immediately, the instant-activation mechanism of virtual cards effectively reduces waiting costs. Physical cards cover a wider range of scenarios, including card-insert payments, contactless payments, and ATM cash withdrawals.

Gate Card supports binding Apple Pay and Google Pay. Users can add either the virtual card or the physical card to a digital wallet for in-store or online payments.

Spending Limits and Cost Structure

Gate Card has an industry-leading configuration of spending limits. The maximum spending limit per transaction and per day is $500,000, and the monthly maximum is $1,500,000. The highest-tier users may also enjoy annual unlimited-limit benefits. Spending limits are dynamically adjusted based on the card tier. This tiered limit system provides flexible capacity allocation for different usage scenarios.

Gate Card charges no card issuance fee, monthly fee, or inactivity fee for both virtual cards and physical cards. The crypto exchange fee is 0.90% for transactions of $2 or more, and 0.05 USD for transactions below $2. The foreign exchange fee for non-USD transactions is 0.40%.

Points Cashback System

On July 2, 2026, Gate officially launched the Gate Card points system. The new system is built around three core capabilities: spending cashback, points redemption, and tier growth—so that users can continue accumulating points during spending, redeem digital assets, and unlock higher-tier benefits as their spending increases.

Gate Card establishes a six-level cashback system from T0 to T5. Different tiers correspond to different points multipliers, cashback rates, monthly points caps, and monthly cashback caps.

| Card Tier | Points Multiplier / Cashback Rate | Monthly Points Cashback Cap | Monthly Equivalent Cashback Amount | Single-Transaction Points Cashback Cap | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | T0 | 1x / 1.00% | 500 points | up to 5U | 200 points | | T1 | 1x / 1.00% | 5,000 points | up to 50U | 1500 points | | T2 | 2x /2.00% | 10,000 points | up to 100U | 3000 points | | T3 | 3x /3.00% | 1,5000 points | up to 150U | 5000 points | | T4 | 5x /5.00% | 2,5000 points | up to 250U | 8000 points | | T5 | 8x /8.00% | 4,0000 points | up to 400U | 15000 points |

Eligible users can receive up to 8% spending cashback, with a maximum cashback per transaction of 150 USDT, and a maximum cashback per month of 400 USDT.

The points multiplier determines how many points users can earn per $1 spent—1x multiplier means 1 point for every $1 spent. The points redemption ratio is a fixed value: 100 points = 1 USDT. For example, spending $100 earns 100 points, which can be redeemed for 1 USDT. Points remain valid long-term with no expiration limit. Points can be used to redeem two digital assets: USDT and GT.

Tier Growth Mechanism

Gate Card’s tier growth uses a dual-track driving model, determined comprehensively based on the user’s Gate VIP tier and their monthly spending amount. The card’s initial tier is determined by the VIP tier at the time of application. Once users reach the corresponding spending thresholds, they can be automatically upgraded in the following month to enjoy higher-tier benefits.

The card tier, the corresponding cashback ratio, and the monthly cashback cap will be determined based on the user’s Gate VIP tier or the card’s spending status for the current month—whichever provides the higher benefits. The new-tier benefits take effect in the next natural month and continue throughout the month.

Points Accumulation Rules

After users complete qualifying spending using Gate Card, they can earn points rewards at a fixed percentage. The standard points accumulation rules are as follows:

T0: 1 point for every 1 USD spent (cashback 1.00%)

T1: 1 point for every 1 USD spent (cashback 1.00%)

T2: 2 points for every 1 USD spent (cashback 2.00%)

T3: 3 points for every 1 USD spent (cashback 3.00%)

T4: 5 points for every 1 USD spent (cashback 5.00%)

T5: 8 points for every 1 USD spent (cashback 8.00%)

Single-transaction points caps and monthly points caps must be followed.

The following transaction types do not participate in points accumulation: fiat payments; non-spending transactions such as fees, management fees, top-ups, and withdrawals; orders that are canceled or refunded; transactions in specific merchant categories, including financial institution services, purchase of stored-value cards, foreign currency exchange, drafts, and traveler’s checks, etc.

Application and Usage Process

When applying for Gate Card, users must complete Level 2 personal identity verification and provide relevant documents such as identity proof. Some cards may require submitting an address proof meeting the requirements within the last 3 months. Gate Card is available only to users in non-restricted countries or regions. Whether users can apply, what card types they can apply for, and specific functions will depend on the results of the identity verification, place of residence, the review by partner issuing institutions, and applicable compliance requirements.

Users can enter the card selection interface on the Gate Card web page or in the Gate Pay App, choose the card that fits their needs, and click to apply. They must complete the identity verification and review process according to the instructions on the page. Virtual card review time is typically 3 to 5 minutes; after approval, users can activate and use the corresponding card.

Gate Card is linked to the user’s Gate Pay payment account. The card’s available limit is calculated based on the available digital-asset balance in the payment account. Users can purchase digital assets through Gate’s buy-crypto feature, or transfer digital assets from other wallets to the Gate account to increase the available balance. The actual available limit may change due to factors such as transaction processing, exchange-rate fluctuations, settlement arrangements, risk-control measures, or other considerations. The specific results shown at the time of the transaction shall prevail.

Conclusion

Crypto assets are shifting from “holdable assets” to “spendable tools.” Stablecoin use cases have rapidly expanded from settlement tools within exchanges to a payment medium with global circulation capabilities. As of May 2026, the global total market capitalization of stablecoins has surpassed $320 billion, and USDT accounts for approximately 58.9% of the market share. The crypto card payment spending scale is growing at an annualized rate of 106%.

Against this backdrop, Gate Card provides a complete path from on-chain holding to real-world spending. By directly connecting a digital-asset account to the Visa payment network, Gate Card eliminates the intermediate steps of asset conversion and fund flow. The six-level cashback system turns spending behavior into continuous value accumulation. With coverage of more than 150 million Visa merchants worldwide, digital assets truly gain the attribute of everyday spendability.

Gate Card is driving digital assets from trading scenarios into spending scenarios, making the “last mile” of the stablecoin payment era gradually become a reality.