Truther Launches Visa Card in El Salvador to Spend USDT From Self-Custody Wallets
What Is realityer Launching—and Why El Salvador?
Crypto payments firm realityer will launch a Visa-linked card in El Salvador on January 29, allowing users to pay with USDT directly from their self-custody wallets. The product draws from the user’s balance at the moment of purchase and does not require preloading funds or storing assets with a custodian. A 2% currency-conversion fee applies, but Brazilian users avoid the IOF tax normally charged on financial transactions.
The company revealed the rollout at the Blockchain Conference Brasil, saying the card will be available to all realityer users later than the El Salvador launch. Founder Rocelo Lopes described the flow as immediate wallet-based settlement. “You don’t charge the card beforehand,” he said. “If you’re at a hotel and the bill is 30 euros, it deducts the USDT equivalent in real time.”
The debut taps into El Salvador’s unique role as a testing ground for crypto payments. With BTC already legal tender, the country has become a pilot market for companies experimenting with on-chain settlement that interacts with traditional payment rails.
Investor Takeaway
How Does realityer’s Self-Custody Card Work?
Unlike most crypto cards, which rely on custodial accounts or require users to transfer funds to an intermediary, realityer’s system pulls directly from a private wallet running on Polygon. Merchants receive fiat through Visa’s network, while the user settles in USDT on-chain. The company is preparing to migrate wallet infrastructure to the Liquid network to add greater privacy.
The model targets crypto users who want to avoid holding balances on centralized platforms or converting assets into bank-issued currency ahead of purchases. realityer says this assists travelers and frequent spenders avoid conversion delays and extra fees linked to legacy payment paths.
The Visa partnership connects the wallet to the company’s existing payment pipeline. realityer already handles roughly $40 million in daily volume through integrations that link stablecoins such as USDT to Brazil’s instant-payment system PIX. The new card extends that functionality to physical and online payments worldwide.
Where Is realityer Expanding Next?
The card launch is part of a broader expansion across Latin America and selected global markets. realityer’s Swapix API—which performs instant systems—will roll out in Argentina next, followed by Mexico, Colombia and Russia. Lopes said these markets were chosen because they support 24/7 payment rails and QR code-based transaction systems, both required for instant settlement.
realityer’s self-custody wallet already supports BTC, USDT and a Brazilian real–denominated stablecoin built on the Liquid network. By ahead 2025, the company plans to integrate additional local tokens, including tether gold and an Argentine peso–linked token. The wallet also lets users spend crypto via QR codes and receive stablecoins without Transaction fees.
The expansion of the Swapix API could allow regional merchants and without altering front-end payment flows—an approach that mirrors realityer’s integration with PIX in Brazil.
Investor Takeaway
Is Traditional Finance Joining the Stablecoin Shift?
realityer says it is in talks with banks interested in adding stablecoin support, though Lopes did not give further details. The company expects stablecoin volumes to triple within the next year as more traditional institutions plug into on-chain settlement and as users adopt direct spending tools instead of holding balances on .
Visa, meanwhile, has been expanding its own stablecoin pilots, including payouts for creators and gig workers. The realityer partnership extends that groundwork into consumer spending tied to everyday merchant acceptance.
If adoption grows, the El Salvador launch could serve as a template for other countries with high stablecoin usage and immediate-payment infrastructure. Users who already treat USDT as digital cash may find a direct-spend option more convenient than legacy crypto cards that rely on custodial top-ups.
With more stablecoins set to be added and expansion across LATAM underway, realityer is building toward a payments network that keeps users in full wallet control while connecting them to global merchants through Visa.
