Western Union, one of the world’s largest and oldest money-transfer companies, is preparing a significant move into digital assets with the launch of “stable cards”, which are prepaid payment cards backed by a U.S. dollar-linked stablecoin. The initiative aims to protect cross-border remittances sent to families living in economies suffering from extreme inflation.
?JUST IN: Western Union to launch a crypto card preloaded with USD stablecoins.
The card will allow users to store money in stablecoins, keeping their savings’ value even if local currency drops from inflation. pic.twitter.com/ffpr5WNGjh
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) December 6, 2025
How Western Union’s Stable Cards Will Work
The stable cards are reloadable prepaid cards funded with a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin. When an expatriate sends money through Western Union, the funds will land on the recipient’s card in the form of a digital dollar balance instead of being converted immediately into local currency.
Recipients can hold their balance in stablecoin form to preserve value, then spend the funds for everyday purchases or withdraw cash when needed. The card’s balance remains in the dollar-denominated digital token until the user decides to convert it. By leveraging its global network of agents and partners, Western Union aims to connect stablecoins with real-world payments more seamlessly than crypto-native solutions.
Targeting Countries Facing Hyperinflation
The product is specifically designed for countries where inflation is eroding purchasing power at alarming rates. During a recent conference, Western Union’s CFO highlighted Argentina where annual inflation exceeds 200% as a prime example. In such environments, salaries and remittances can lose significant value within weeks or months.
Many families already seek refuge in U.S. dollars, often turning to informal or black-market conversion channels with high fees. Western Union aims to offer a legal, regulated alternative that reduces currency-conversion friction. With stable cards, recipients can receive remittances directly in digital dollars, minimizing losses related to rapid currency depreciation.
The company also sees growth opportunities across Africa, where it has an extensive footprint and where stablecoin demand continues to rise.
USDPT Stablecoin and the Digital Asset Network (DAN)
Western Union is building a full ecosystem behind the product. The company plans to launch its own stablecoin—the US Dollar Payment Token (USDPT)—on the Solana blockchain, chosen for its low transaction costs and high throughput. USDPT is scheduled for release in 2026 once the technical infrastructure is complete.
In parallel, Western Union is developing a Digital Asset Network (DAN) that will connect on-ramp and off-ramp providers to streamline movement between local currencies, stablecoins, cash withdrawals, and card payments. The company has also partnered with Rain to issue Visa cards connected to stablecoins and to simplify cash conversion at select service points.
This build-out effectively adds a crypto-powered layer to Western Union’s existing global remittance infrastructure.
A Turning Point for Stablecoin Adoption
Western Union’s push into stablecoins marks a dramatic shift for the company, which long kept its distance from the crypto sector. The introduction of stable cards could become the first stablecoin experience for millions of remittance users worldwide, and many of whom have never interacted with a crypto exchange.
However, the system will remain fully regulated, requiring standard KYC procedures and maintaining centralized custody of funds. Users gain inflation protection but not additional privacy or financial autonomy.
Still, the move represents a powerful signal for the industry. A legacy financial giant is now embracing stablecoin rails to solve real-world problems, which is namely the rapid loss of value suffered by remittances in inflation-stricken economies. For families in countries facing monetary crises, these cards may soon join physical dollars and self-custodied crypto as essential financial survival tools.
