First Aussie VISA Crypto Debit Card Officially Approved

Visa has approved the issuance of physical crypto debit cards to allow Australians to pay for goods at local stores and venues without having to exchange crypto to fiat, but using bitcoin (BTC) and other assets directly.

There are various companies working together to bring the first crypto spending card to Australians. Aussie software technology firm Novatti Group is in charge of the card issuance while New York-licensed custodian BitGo will safeguard the assets.

Transactions will be made through CryptoSpend, an Australian startup that called the attention of the payment giant and approved the project after reviewing the startup’s compliance with anti-money laundering regulations. 

Co-founder of CryptoSpend, Richard Voice, says the number of Aussie users who want to use crypto in their local stores is increasing every day.

We have customers that range from 18-year-old students to 70-year-old grandmothers. [This] further emphasises the growing appetite for people of all ages to use crypto as an everyday currency.

Richard Voice, CryptoSpend

First BTC Spending Card in Australia

There are several crypto debit cards for Aussies, but their use is restricted and no Australian payment application is in charge of their issuance.

Visa has already approved debit cards issuance for various crypto-exchanges worldwide, but they are not yet available in Australia. This card, which is slated to arrive in September, is the first to allow Aussies to use cryptoassets on an Australian payments card.

Australian customers can download the app via AppStore or Google Play and fund their portfolio with other assets besides bitcoin, including ethereum (ETH), ripple (XRP), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).

In February, the number of users on the Visa network increased exponentially as they were using crypto cards to convert crypto to fiat to spend it on merchants worldwide. The payment giant said this trend was “unmistakable”.

For the tens of millions of people using those platforms, one of the simplest ways to spend crypto is through a Visa card. We’re seeing digital wallets and crypto platforms build payment products entirely with digital currency.

Visa spokesperson