Self-custody meets KYC: Tangem launches Visa payments with Paera

Cryptocurrency wallet company Tangem has launched Tangem Pay, a virtual Visa card connecting directly to the hardware wallet and allowing users to spend stablecoins at millions of merchants worldwide.

Launched in collaboration with US payment infrastructure company Paera, Tangem Pay enables users to deposit and spend Circle’s USDC (USDC) stablecoin on the Polygon network, Tangem said in an announcement shared with Cointelegraph on Wednesday.

“Once the user deposits into their Tangem Pay account, they can spend anywhere Visa is accepted, regardless of the local currency,” Tangem Pay CEO Marcos Nunes said, adding that the solution supports Apple Pay and Google Pay for instant Visa payments.

Tangem Pay will start issuing the cards in late November across the United States, Latin America and major Asia-Pacific countries, followed by a European launch in 2026.

Initial availability in 42 countries

The initial rollout of Tangem Pay features availability to users in 42 jurisdictions, including Australia, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the US.

“The virtual card is just the beginning — we are already working on adding new countries and incentives to make this our users’ number one card for their daily spending,” Nunes said.

The list of countries eligible for Tangem Pay at launch. Source: TangemThe launch of Tangem Pay aligns with Tangem’s goal to deliver a full self-custody experience, which the company sees as “store, grow and spend.”

Self-custody payments meet KYC

Unlike custodial wallets, self-custodial solutions allow users to store crypto without relying on third parties, typically bypassing Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures.

Although Tangem’s hardware wallet embodies the “be-your-own-bank” principle of self-custody by providing a cold wallet, the Tangem Pay account remains subject to KYC requirements.

Related: Ledger and Trezor 2025 hardware wallets released: What’s new for users?

Custodial wallets versus self-custodial (non-custodial) wallets. Source: MoonPay“Tangem has no access to user data. If a user undergoes KYC, it only applies to their Tangem Pay balance,” the Tangem Pay CEO said, adding:

“If a user is sanctioned or engaged in illegal activity our regulatory partner — not Tangem — can disconnect the payment card from the payment network. Again, no one has access to the Tangem wallet itself, and Tangem Pay’s KYC has no effect on this.”

The compliance and settlement portions of the Tangem Pay are handled by Rain, a stablecoin payment infrastructure that announced plans on Tuesday to participate in the forthcoming stablecoin-based settlement system by the global payment giant Western Union.

Officially announced in late October, Western Union’s Solana-based Digital Asset Network will feature the company’s proprietary stablecoin and is expected to launch in the first half of 2026.

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