Binance’s Crypto Debit Cards to Stop Working in Some Regions Where Initiative Failed to Soar as Expected

The crypto debit cards that Binance issues allows its holders to pay for day-to-day utilities and purchases via a select number of cryptocurrencies.

Written by Radhika Parashar, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 24 August 2023 17:05 IST

Binance’s Crypto Debit Cards to Stop Working in Some Regions Where Initiative Failed to Soar as Expected

Photo Credit: Binance

Binance first started issuing these crypto cards in 2020

Highlights

Binance credit cards will go defunct by September 21
The company will begin suspending cards starting August 25
The cards are only being suspended in Latin America and the Middle East

Binance's crypto debit cards will be suspended in Latin America as well as Middle East nations starting August 25. While Binance has not given a concrete reason behind its decision, it could be motivated by the lack of hype for the project in the regions. In a statement posted on X, Binance said less than one percent of its users would be affected by this decision, indicating that the cards did not see widespread adoption in these regions.

Complaints about Binance's crypto debit cards not working properly had started to emerge on X since the beginning of this week. Binance replied to one such complaint revealing the development.

“Only a tiny portion of our users (less than one percent of users in the markets mentioned) are impacted by this. Users of this product will have until September 21, 2023, when the card will no longer be available for use,” Binance customer support mentioned in the tweet.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Hello there,
The Binance Card will no longer be available to users in Latin America and the Middle East. The product, like most debit cards, has been utilized by Binance's users to pay for basic daily expenses but in this case, the cards are funded with crypto assets. Only a tiny…
— Binance Customer Support (@BinanceHelpDesk) August 23, 2023

The crypto debit cards that Binance issues, allows its holders to pay for day-to-day utilities and purchases via a select number of cryptocurrencies. Holders can choose to buy crypto with different fiat currencies by entering the fiat amount they choose to convert and swipe the cards for purchases, the company website explains.

These crypto-supported payment cards were first announced by the exchange in April 2020. The cards still function in European nations, where they were launched around July 2020.

CoinDCX Lays Off 12 Percent of Staff, Calls Out India’s Crypto Tax Policy

Binance, which is facing an SEC probe in the US over its business practices, has been realigning a lot of its operations amid shaky market conditions.

This month, the company reportedly shut down its fiat-to-crypto platform Binance Connect, a service that used to let its users process fiat-to-crypto payments.

At the time, the exchange had said that it wants to keep its focus on projects that promise long term returns.

In order to bring in more funds into the company, Binance has also been marking its entry into lucrative markets like Japan and El Salvador.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Cryptocurrency, Binance, Crypto Debit Cards

Radhika Parashar

Email Radhika

Radhika Parashar is a senior correspondent for Gadgets 360. She has been reporting on tech and telecom for the last three years now and will be focussing on writing about all things crypto. Besides this, she is a major sitcom nerd and often replies in Chandler Bing and Michael Scott references. For tips or queries you could reach out to her at RadhikaP@ndtv.com. More