Card
NAKA lets companies attach global card rails to the products they already have.
Partners issue a branded Visa card their users can tap from a mobile wallet or in-app, while NAKA carries the heavy lifting: issuing, KYC/AML/SAR, insurance, safety collateral, and settlement. The program is built for LATAM operators that don't want to obtain new crypto/digital-asset or issuing licenses; distributors focus on users and UX while we operate the regulated stack.
Why it matters now: the card combines day-one global acceptance with user-controlled value, aligning crypto utility with familiar card experiences across 200+ countries and 150M+ merchant locations.
How it works (at a glance)
Result: familiar card UX, crypto-to-fiat settlement handled behind the scenes, and no client crypto float on the distributor's balance sheet.
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A cardholder pays in-store or online; the experience mirrors any Visa card.
Authorization routes to the Principal Issuer; NAKA verifies balance via the NAKA Balance Service. If sufficient, assets are reserved on the cardholder's smart contract.
Upon settlement, reserved USDt moves to the Issuer's settlement wallet and is brokered to fiat for the merchant payout.
Trust, compliance, and consumer protection
Read our compliance and consumer-protection noteKYC & onboarding
NAKA runs end-to-end KYC (e.g., via SumSub) inside the distributor's app.
Financial crime controls
AML screening, real-time monitoring, and SAR handled within the issuing stack.
Insurance & safety collateral
NAKA provides program insurance and crypto-based safety collateral required for processing on traditional rails.
Operational posture
Merchants are paid immediately after settlement; controls align to established payment security practices and EMV expectations.
LATAM economic impact
Cross-border remittances and payouts become usable at the point of sale.
Users can receive value instantly and spend it wherever Visa is accepted, a practical bridge between digital value and local commerce.
Dollarized, mobile-first behavior is supported without rebuilding banking infrastructure.
For high-inflation and unbanked contexts, USDt-based rails provide stability with card-level acceptance; transfers are near-instant and low-cost compared with legacy wires.
Targeted programs are feasible.
Micro-loan disbursement and collections, tokenized-asset liquidity at POS, and other value-added services sit on the same rails.
Technology and interoperability
- Standards-friendly: EMV-aligned posture designed to integrate without new hardware or retraining; Apple/Google Pay compatibility available through Visa tokenization.
- Two virtual cards, one app: a Visa-issued card for ubiquity plus a NAKA rail, preserving user control while leveraging card network acceptance.
- Settlement model: single-message processing confirms and moves funds in one flow, enabling immediate settlement to acquirers/merchants.
- Roadmap foundation: NAKA Chain on an Avalanche subnet reduces bridging and enhances USDt utility while keeping funds off the public ledger layer.
Governance and responsibility (Who does what)
Request the enterprise briefing deckVisa Principal Issuer
Onboarding of participants; tokenization and EMV authorization rails; network administration and clearing; crypto-to-fiat brokerage at settlement.
NAKA (Issuer/Reseller)
USDt payment rail; insurance and safety collateral; KYC services; AML/SAR and monitoring; L2 support for distributors.
Distributor (Sub-tenant)
Integrate authorization and card management in your app; integrate KYC; operate the wallet UI; user acquisition and L1 support.
Implementation cadence
VISA project approval typically 3–4 weeks; internal development, integrations and testing 8–15 weeks depending on your team capacity.