The cryptocurrency industry has undergone multiple cycles, evolving from early value discovery to sustained growth in trading volume. Today, both the number of digital asset holders and the scale of their holdings have reached unprecedented levels. Globally, the number of digital asset users has increased from 420 million in 2023 to 562 million in 2024, and this upward trend shows no signs of slowing. As assets accumulate to a certain scale, a more practical question emerges: How can these assets truly serve everyday life?
For a long time, the core use cases for crypto assets have centered on investment and trading. Users buy, hold, and wait for appreciation, with assets remaining in digital accounts, disconnected from real-world consumption needs. This gap leaves many digital asset holders in an awkward position—their assets grow, but daily spending still relies on traditional fiat payment methods.
The rise of crypto payment cards directly addresses this gap.
According to research by data analytics firm Artemis, monthly transaction volume for crypto payment cards surged from roughly $100 million at the start of 2023 to over $1.5 billion by the end of 2025, representing a compound annual growth rate of 106%. On an annualized basis, the crypto card market has surpassed $18 billion, nearly matching the $19 billion scale of peer-to-peer stablecoin transfers during the same period. Meanwhile, cumulative transaction volume for crypto payment cards has reached $7.8 billion, a year-over-year increase of 230%. Looking at specific growth metrics, Visa-supported crypto card projects saw total spending climb from $14.6 million in January 2025 to $91.3 million in December, a 525% annual increase. Collectively, these figures point to a clear trend: Crypto assets are shifting from "hold-only assets" to "spending tools," with crypto payment cards serving as a key driver of this transformation.
Behind the Scale of the Crypto Card Market: From Niche Tool to Mainstream Payment
The growth of crypto payment cards is no accident; it’s fueled by several converging factors. The widespread adoption of stablecoins is the most significant variable. In 2025, over 70% of crypto card transactions were settled in stablecoins like USDC and USDT. Stablecoins effectively address concerns about price volatility—when the value of payment assets is relatively stable, users are more willing to spend them in daily life, rather than simply holding them as speculative instruments. Data on deposits and spending show that stablecoins now dominate collateral assets for crypto cards, with USDT and USDC accounting for nearly the entire share.
At the same time, deep integration with mainstream payment networks has provided essential infrastructure for crypto cards. According to Paymentscan, Visa currently commands about 95% to 97% of the crypto card transaction market. With more than 150 million merchants worldwide accepting Visa, crypto card users can spend digital assets in virtually all online and offline scenarios. Merchants don’t need to make any modifications, and the spending experience is identical to traditional bank cards.
User behavior data indicates that crypto cards are increasingly used for everyday spending. As of October 2025, monthly active users of crypto payment cards reached approximately 40,000, with average spending under $100 per person—primarily for small daily transactions rather than large speculative purchases. In terms of spending categories, supermarket shopping accounts for about 26% of total transaction volume, dining for 18%, and online shopping for 13%. These figures show that crypto cards are becoming genuine tools for daily payments, not just "experimental" products for crypto enthusiasts.
Gate Card: Spend Gate Assets Directly
Gate Card, Gate’s digital asset payment card, is directly linked to your Gate Pay account. Users don’t need to convert digital assets to fiat in advance—they can spend online or offline at over 150 million Visa merchants worldwide. The card comes in both virtual and physical formats. Virtual cards can typically be activated within 3 to 5 minutes after identity verification. Physical cards support chip payments, contactless payments, and ATM withdrawals for a variety of offline scenarios.
In terms of fees, both virtual and physical Gate Cards are free of issuance fees, monthly fees, and inactivity fees. For crypto currency conversion, transactions of $2 or more incur a 0.90% fee, while those under $2 are charged $0.05. The foreign exchange fee for non-USD transactions is 0.40%, which is among the lowest in the industry. Gate Card currently supports USDT, BTC, ETH, and GT for direct payment. The system automatically handles asset conversion and settlement at the moment of transaction, deducting the payment amount from the selected asset account in real time—no manual steps required.
As of June 16, 2026, Gate market data shows: Bitcoin price is $66,278.2, Ethereum price is $1,793.79, and GT price is $6.85. These four assets represent the most liquid and widely recognized asset classes in the crypto industry. No matter which asset combination users hold, they can spend directly with Gate Card.
Gate Card now supports Apple Pay and Google Pay integration. Once linked, users can pay with their phone via contactless methods, without needing to open the app each time. This feature further aligns the convenience of digital asset spending with traditional bank card payments.
Spending limits on Gate Card are tiered by card level. For example, at T4 level, the daily spending limit is $500,000, with an annual limit of $18,000,000. ATM withdrawal is capped at $5,000 per day, $5,000 per transaction, and a maximum of 10 withdrawals daily. This tiered limit system covers a wide range of needs, from everyday small purchases to high-end, large payments.
Cashback System: Adding Value to Every Transaction
Gate Card features a points-based cashback mechanism tied to VIP level and spending amount, converting everyday purchases directly into redeemable digital assets.
Card levels range from T0 to T4. T0 offers a cashback rate of 1.00%, with a monthly points cap of 500. T4 provides the highest rate at 5.00%, with a monthly cap of 25,000 points. Cashback is issued as points, where 100 points can be redeemed for 1 USDT, and redemptions are available in USDT or GT.
According to Gate Card’s official rules, points are earned as follows: T0 and T1 earn 1 point per $1 spent, T2 earns 2 points per $1, T3 earns 3 points per $1, and T4 earns 5 points per $1.
Card level upgrades depend on two factors: your Gate VIP level and your monthly card spending. The system grants the higher of the two as your effective card level.
Points never expire and can be redeemed for USDT or GT at any time, with a minimum redemption of 50 points. The core purpose of this cashback system is to turn spending into on-chain asset accumulation. After global payments, users can redeem points for digital assets, creating a complete loop of "spending—cashback—holding." Spending is no longer just an outflow—it becomes an extension of asset allocation.
Note that fiat payments, fees, deposits, withdrawals, and other non-spending transactions don’t earn points. Canceled or refunded orders are also excluded from cashback. Specific merchant categories, such as financial services, stored-value card purchases, and money orders, are likewise not eligible for points.
From Asset Holding to Spending Loop: Extending the Value of Crypto Finance
The fundamental value of digital assets lies in two roles: store of value and medium of exchange. In previous cycles, the crypto industry focused almost exclusively on the former—how to get more people to buy and hold crypto assets. The development of trading platforms, custody solutions, and investment products all revolved around "holding." As the number of holders and asset volumes grew, the value of assets as a medium of exchange gradually came to the forefront.
Assets only realize their true value when used. Crypto cards are the key infrastructure enabling this value release. They move digital assets out of trading accounts and into supermarkets, restaurants, online stores, and every daily spending scenario.
Industry-wide data shows that this shift is already happening. The crypto card market went from zero to over $1.5 billion in monthly transaction volume in less than three years. This growth rate far exceeds many traditional financial products and stands in sharp contrast to most crypto industry applications. Crypto cards address real, frequent, and sustained spending needs—not just speculative demand. The stability of this demand underpins the sustainable growth potential of the crypto card market.
On a broader scale, crypto cards are driving a paradigm shift in financial tools. They expand digital assets from an "asset class" to a "spendable payment tool." This expansion means that asset demand grows beyond investment, encompassing consumption and forming a more complete value cycle.
For users with substantial crypto holdings, Gate Card offers a direct, low-cost, high-reward spending channel. There’s no need to withdraw assets to a bank account, no repeated transfer fees or time costs, and no need to calculate exchange rates or settlement times before spending. Everything is handled instantly at the point of transaction. The experience mirrors traditional bank card usage, but the underlying assets are the user’s own digital holdings.
As the final mile of crypto finance, spending scenarios are gaining recognition among more users. Asset growth shouldn’t come at the expense of spending convenience. Gate Card provides a practical solution to this challenge. As digital asset payments become more widespread, the crypto finance value chain will become more complete—from acquisition and holding to spending, every step happens within the same ecosystem.
Conclusion
The true value of digital assets isn’t just reflected in account balances—it’s measured by their seamless integration into daily life. The leap from holding to spending is a necessary step for crypto finance to mature. With stable asset support, transparent fee structures, and attractive cashback systems, Gate Card offers users a seamless path from asset accumulation to everyday payments. As more crypto users pay attention to and choose crypto payment cards, the trend is clear: Spending scenarios are the ultimate destination for asset value.
