{"id":17428,"date":"2025-12-06T18:52:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T18:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/western-union-plans-stablecoin-prepaid-card-for-countries-battling-inflation\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T18:52:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T18:52:15","slug":"western-union-plans-stablecoin-prepaid-card-for-countries-battling-inflation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/western-union-plans-stablecoin-prepaid-card-for-countries-battling-inflation\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Union plans stablecoin prepaid card for countries battling inflation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-detail__content blocks\">\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">Western Union is building a stablecoin-backed prepaid card targeting countries with high inflation rates.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_f9f0c3fad144a1607de479a7f23cbd40\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__nav tabs\">\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Western Union is creating a stablecoin-backed prepaid card for inflation-heavy economies.<\/li>\n<li>The USDPT token on Solana launches in 2026, integrating with the firm\u2019s remittance network.<\/li>\n<li>Partnership with Rain enables Visa stablecoin cards and crypto-to-cash conversions.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<p>The money transfer giant plans to offer the product in markets where local currency depreciation erodes purchasing power, CFO Matthew Cagwin <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.criptonoticias.com\/mercados\/western-union-tarjeta-pagos-criptomonedas\/\">told<\/a> the UBS Global Technology and AI conference.<\/p>\n<p>Cagwin pointed to Argentina as a prime use case, where inflation exceeded 200% last year. The dollar-denominated card would help preserve value for remittance recipients in economies facing rapid currency devaluation.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rain partnership brings Visa stablecoin cards<\/h2>\n<p>Western Union has partnered with Rain to issue Visa cards linked to stablecoins. The collaboration allows users to convert digital assets stored in wallets connected to Rain\u2019s platform into local cash at Western Union branches.<\/p>\n<p>The company is building on-ramps and off-ramps within its digital asset network to reduce banking system dependence and accelerate fund settlement. \u201cWe\u2019re working with several providers to build this infrastructure,\u201d Cagwin stated.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<p>Western Union plans to launch the US Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) in 2026, a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1959489\/pakistan-will-definitely-launch-first-stablecoin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">stablecoin<\/a> issued by Anchorage Digital on the Solana network. The token will integrate with the company\u2019s broader digital asset strategy.<\/p>\n<p>The prepaid card will function as a bridge between stablecoins and everyday spending in high-inflation economies.<\/p>\n<p>Users receive remittances loaded onto cards denominated in dollars. The cards can be spent at merchants or withdrawn as cash at Western Union locations.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Company reverses decade-long crypto skepticism<\/h2>\n<p>Western Union maintained a dismissive stance toward cryptocurrencies for years. In 2017, Chief Technology Officer David Thompson questioned Bitcoin\u2019s viability as currency, comparing crypto to commodities rather than functional money.<\/p>\n<p>The company argued that digital assets lacked governance, compliance, and stability for mainstream adoption.<\/p>\n<p>The position changed in late 2025 after clearer regulatory frameworks surfaced. CEO Devin McGranahan said historical caution stemmed from \u201cconcerns around volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and customer protection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other stablecoin news<\/h2>\n<p>Pakistan <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1959489\/pakistan-will-definitely-launch-first-stablecoin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">announced<\/a> plans to launch its first stablecoin as part of efforts to integrate virtual assets into the economy.<\/p>\n<p>Bilal Bin Saqib, chairman of Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), told Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai that the country is \u201cdefinitely\u201d launching a stablecoin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it is a great way to collateralize the government debt,\u201d Saqib said. \u201cWe want to be at the forefront of this financial digital innovation. Why should we be at the tail-end of it when we have the muscle and the adoption?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PVARA is working on Central Bank Digital Currencies alongside stablecoin development. Saqib unveiled Pakistan\u2019s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve earlier this year and the government allocated 2,000 megawatts of electricity for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers in May.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Western Union is building a stablecoin-backed prepaid card targeting countries with high inflation rates. Summary Western Union is creating a stablecoin-backed prepaid card for inflation-heavy economies. The USDPT token on&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17429,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17428\/revisions\/17429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}