CRYPTO CARDS DON'T HAVE ANY FUTURE

Summary from the TLDR Crypto newsletter

Crypto cards add abstraction layers, strengthening Visa and Mastercard gatekeepers rather than replacing them, as most function as liquidity bridges, selling crypto for fiat on each transaction, with infrastructure providers like Rain enabling companies to launch branded cards without significant engineering. Non-custodial cards lock users into specific ecosystems like MetaMask on Linea or Plasma Card, creating Apple-style habit formation for natural liquidity attraction rather than mining campaigns, though they lack privacy since KYC links crypto addresses to real identities. EtherFi stands out as the only viable long-term model by collateralizing crypto for fiat loans, avoiding taxable selling events on each purchase while generating yield, positioning it as the true DeFi-TradFi intersection versus competitors capitalizing on narratives without vertical innovation.