MoneyGram launches Visa stablecoin card as remittance rivals expand
Key Takeaways
- •The MoneyGram Card will initially be available as a virtual Visa-branded card in Colombia.
- •MoneyGram plans to introduce a physical card and expand availability to additional markets later this year.
- •Rain is providing infrastructure for MoneyGram’s card and is also working with Western Union on its Stablecard.
- •MoneyGram previously launched the MGUSD stablecoin on Stellar and connected its cryptocurrency on- and off-ramps to Solana.
- •The World Bank found that debit cards had an average remittance receiving cost of 3.61%, but the figure does not establish MoneyGram Card pricing.
MoneyGram is expanding its stablecoin operations with a Visa-branded debit card, following a similar move by global remittance rival Western Union as both companies develop blockchain-based payment services.
The MoneyGram Card will initially launch as a virtual card in Colombia and can be added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, the company said in an announcement. MoneyGram plans to offer a physical card and expand the service to additional markets later this year, making those rollout milestones the next developments to watch for the card program.
MoneyGram is working with infrastructure provider Rain on the card. Western Union is also working with Rain on its Stablecard, which the company announced last month. The parallel projects show how established remittance companies are testing card-based access alongside blockchain payment infrastructure.
The card launch follows MoneyGram’s introduction of the MGUSD stablecoin on the Stellar network in June. The company integrated MGUSD into its proprietary application through a self-custodial wallet as it expanded its blockchain-based cross-border payment services. Last month, MoneyGram also announced a connection to a Solana wallet as it expanded its cryptocurrency on- and off-ramps.
The World Bank has identified stablecoins as a potential tool for reducing the cost of global remittances. Its September 2025 analysis of remittance-service pricing found that debit cards were the lowest-cost instrument for receiving remittances, with an average cost of 3.61% of the amount transmitted. The analysis is available in the World Bank report. The finding provides relevant cost context for MoneyGram’s decision to pair stablecoin infrastructure with a debit-card product, although it does not establish the cost of the MoneyGram Card itself.
MoneyGram’s stablecoin and remittance initiatives have also included the launch of MGUSD on Stellar and its expansion of cryptocurrency cash ramps to Solana, while Western Union’s Stablecard represents a parallel effort by a major remittance provider. The original report was published by Cointelegraph.
