Bitcoin Meets Commerce: Wirex And Chimera Wallet Bring Bitcoin Spending To 80M+ Merchants

What Happened

Wirex, a full-stack crypto card issuer and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider, today announced it is powering the launch of the Chimera Card — a Bitcoin-funded debit card that brings practical, everyday Bitcoin spending to users worldwide.

“Our BaaS platform exists so that innovators like Chimera can focus on building great products instead of navigating payment infrastructure complexity,” said Daniel Rowlands, General Manager, Onchain Finance at Wirex.“With a single integration, Chimera gets non-custodial cards, banking rails, and DeFi — everything needed to launch a world-class Bitcoin spending experience globally. That’s the power of full-stack BaaS.”

Market Context

Bitcoin-to-fiat conversion at prevailing market rates with transparent pricing

Why It Matters

DeFi Yield with Enterprise Controls — Integrated yield opportunities on idle balances with full compliance and risk management.

Truly self-custodial, with card balances held fully onchain with private keys managed by the end users — eliminating commingling risk and providing protection in the event of issuer insolvency

Pre-orders for the Chimera Card are now open for a limited time. Customers who reserve their card during the pre-order period will receive permanent fee protection. Both virtual and physical cards are expected to be available by the end of Q1 2026.

Details

Wirex BaaS: One Integration, Complete Infrastructure

Through a single API integration, Chimera Wallet gains access to Wirex’s complete BaaS stack:

Non-Custodial Card Issuance — Virtual and physical debit cards that let users spend while maintaining full control of their assets. Includes seamless Apple Pay and Google Pay integration.

EUR & USD IBAN Accounts — Named virtual IBANs with SEPA Instant and Faster Payments connectivity for seamless fiat on/off ramping across 30+ countries.

Unified Balance Management — Real-time stablecoin-to-fiat conversion at point of sale, with zero prefunding requirements.

Rapid Global Deployment

By leveraging Wirex BaaS, Chimera avoids the complexity of building payment infrastructure from scratch — no separate card issuers, banking partners, or compliance frameworks to manage. The result: a debit card accepted at 80+ million merchants worldwide, with users maintaining self-custody of their Bitcoin throughout.

The Chimera Card is a natural extension of our vision to make Bitcoin usable in everyday life without compromising self-custody,” said Simone De Gaspari, Chimera Chief Strategy Officer.

“By enabling direct wallet-based funding and pairing it with global debit card acceptance, we’re giving users a transparent way to spend Bitcoin while remaining in control of their assets.

Key Features of the Chimera Card

Direct wallet-based funding via Bitcoin or the Lightning Network

Global acceptance at any merchant accepting debit and credit cards worldwide

Permanent 1.5% transaction fee for pre-order customers (vs. 2% standard), with zero monthly and top-up fees for life

Travel-friendly FX rates and ATM access for global spending

The card also features seamless Apple Pay and Google Pay integration for contactless payments, along with travel-friendly FX rates and ATM access for global spending.

Pre-Orders Now Open

Reservation link | Pre-order fee: 20 CHF

About Wirex