Crypto Debit Card Access Lags Behind Global Demand, Tangem Says
Tangem says crypto card demand is highest where access is hardest, as it expands its Visa-backed self-custodial payment product.
Here's something the traditional finance world never had to admit: the people who want crypto payment cards the most are often the ones who can't get them. That's the core finding Tangem is putting on the table as it pushes deeper into the self-custodial card space through a Visa partnership.
Tangem's argument is blunt — geographic and regulatory friction aren't killing demand, they're just bottling it up. Markets where banking infrastructure is weak or crypto regulations are murky tend to show outsized appetite for crypto-linked payment tools. That's a real opportunity being left on the table by most card issuers who stick to safe, compliant Western markets.
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The self-custody angle is what makes Tangem's play different. Unlike standard crypto debit cards that require you to hand funds over to a custodian first, Tangem's model keeps you in control of your own keys. That matters enormously in regions where trust in third-party financial institutions is low — which, not coincidentally, overlaps heavily with the high-demand markets they're describing.
For retail traders and everyday crypto holders, the message here is clear: the infrastructure gap is real, but companies are starting to move on it. If Tangem's Visa-backed expansion actually reaches underserved regions, it could open a significant new on-ramp for spending crypto without surrendering custody. Watch this space — the race to own the self-custodial payments layer globally is just getting started.
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