Binance shutting down European Visa debit card in December

Mastercard ended its partnership in Latin America and Bahrain with Binance in September, possibly due to the regulatory environment.

Binance Visa debit card services will close down in the European Economic Area (EEA) on December 20, according to an announcement by the cryptocurrency exchange on Oct. 20. Binance accounts will be unaffected.

According to a Binance letter to customers posted online, the Binance card issuer, Finansinės paslaugos “Contis” — or Contis Financial Services — will stop issuing the card. Contis is a Lithuanian electronic money institution and currency exchange operator owned by German banking-as-a-service platform Solaris Group, which is active in 30 European countries.

The Binance Visa debit card converts crypto in users’ Binance accounts into local currencies, thus allowing them to use crypto to pay for purchases in stores and online. The EEA comprises all 27 European Union member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.