Solayer Emerald Card
Solayer · Visa
The Solayer Emerald Card is a self-custody Visa card built by the Solana project Solayer, letting users spend Solana-based USDC at over 150 million merchants. Funds stay in the user's wallet and are pulled on-chain at the point of purchase. It offers 1% cashback plus Emerald Points and partner-token airdrops, with the option of ~4% yield on sUSD balances backed by US Treasury bills. The card costs $75 for the general public (about $11.25 for students, free for community-sale users) with no annual fee; an FX markup of 1.5% applies. It launched as a virtual card only (a physical metal card is announced) across roughly 124 countries, excluding most of the EEA and the UK. ATM withdrawal fees and limits are not publicly documented: shown as 0 pending official confirmation.
The number that matters
The banner cashback isn't what you pocket.
After FX markup, fees and withdrawals, on an average profile of €1,000/mo (20% abroad).
Data & conditions
§ Amounts in USD/GBP are shown in the service's native currency.
| Network | Visa |
|---|---|
| Fund custody | Self-custody (funds in your control) |
| Issuance fee | €75 |
| Annual fee | Free |
| Free ATM limit | Not documented |
| ATM withdrawal | Free |
| FX markup | 1.5% |
| Cashback | 1% in USDC + Emerald Points / partner tokens · Nessuno |
| Chains | Solana |
| On-chain settlement | Yes |
| Contactless | Yes |
| Virtual card | Yes |
| KYC | Full |
| Privacy | 5/10 |
| Supported countries | US, LATAM, APAC, MENA, AFRICA · 100+ countries |
| Funding / solidity | Solayer (Solayer Labs) e un progetto basato su Solana, originariamente focalizzato sul restaking, con sede negli Stati Uniti. La Emerald Card e la sua carta Visa self-custody, lanciata nel 2025 e disponibile per oltre 40.000 utenti in circa 100 paesi. |
| Estimated net annual cost | €0/year |
| Regulator | Visa network; card issued by an undisclosed licensed third-party financial institution |
| Segment | B2C |
| Funding / solidity | Solayer (Solayer Labs) is a Solana-based project, originally focused on restaking, headquartered in the United States. The Emerald Card is its self-custody Visa card, launched in 2025 and available to more than 40,000 users across roughly 100 countries. |
| MiCA / License status | Card issued by an undisclosed licensed third-party financial institution on the Visa network Visa-network card issued by an undisclosed licensed third-party financial institution; the Solayer project (Solayer Labs) is US-based. Available in roughly 100 countries, excluding most of the EEA and the UK and some US states. |
Strengths
- Self-custody on Solana with on-chain USDC settlement on the global Visa network.
- 1% cashback plus Emerald Points, partner-token airdrops and ~4% yield on sUSD.
- No annual fee.
- Self-custody: funds stay in your wallet — the platform cannot touch them.
Weaknesses
- Issuance fee up to $75 and mandatory full KYC.
- 1.5% FX markup on non-base-currency transactions.
- Not available across most of the EEA and the UK; ATM fees/limits undocumented.
- Full KYC required: verified identity, zero pseudonymity.
- Subject to regulation (Visa-network card issued by an undisclosed licensed third-party financial institution; the Solayer project (Solayer Labs) is US-based. Available in roughly 100 countries, excluding most of the EEA and the UK and some US states.): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.
Verdict
A self-custody Visa card with an undisclosed bank issuer and mandatory full KYC: funds stay in the user's Solana wallet, but formal protection rests on an undisclosed licensed institution and the Solayer project rather than on any known regulatory guarantee.
A self-custody model with on-chain USDC settlement: the user keeps custody of funds until the moment of purchase, a point in favor of sovereignty, but mandatory full KYC and EEA/UK exclusion limit its cypherpunk profile.
Promp's editorial rating based on real fees and net annual cost. Promp reviews third-party products independently.
"Sovereignty" rating: score computed on privacy/anonymity (30%), fund control (20%), censorship resistance (20%), trustless/auditability (20%) and costs (10%). Same data, different weights.
FAQ
Is the Solayer Emerald Card custodial or self-custody?
The Solayer Emerald Card uses a self-custody model: funds stay in the user's Solana wallet and are pulled on-chain only at the point of purchase, with no centralized custody.
How much does the Solayer Emerald Card cost and what cashback does it give?
Issuance is $75 for the general public (about $11.25 for students, free for community-sale users) with no annual fee; the FX markup is 1.5%. The card offers 1% cashback plus Emerald Points and partner-token airdrops.
Sources
- blockworks.com Azienda info · Regulatory framework · Paesi num · Supported currencies · +3 Data verified on Jun 23, 2026
- coinsoncards.com Card issuance fee · Annual card fee · Cashback · Regioni · +1 Data verified on Jun 22, 2026
- docs.solayer.org Descrizione · Payment network · Blockchain · Custodial Data verified on Jun 22, 2026
- todey.xyz Custodial · Kyc · Payment network · Blockchain · +3 Data verified on Jun 22, 2026