NAKA at Plan ₿ Forum Lugano 2025: Unveiling the NAKA+ Visa Platinum Card

Lugano came alive with the record number of attendees as we pulled off our biggest product launch yet: the NAKA+ Visa Platinum Card. Over two packed days, we watched self-custodial payments move from concept to reality as people activated cards at our booth and immediately started spending across Lugano.

Introducing the NAKA+ Visa Platinum Card

We introduced the NAKA+ Visa Platinum Card, a fully self-custodial crypto payment card accepted anywhere Visa works worldwide, including online purchases.

NAKA+ is a B2B payment card infrastructure built for crypto exchanges, wallets, and fintechs that want to give their users real spendability. Partners can launch branded, Visa-accepted cards funded directly by users' on-chain balances, without needing issuing licenses or building in-house compliance systems. NAKA provides the complete infrastructure like card rails, compliance stack, and settlement, in partnership with a Visa Principal Member issuer. End users access the card through their platform's existing app while funds remain self-custodied in a Safe smart account on the NAKA Card Payment Network.

For businesses, NAKA+ solves a critical challenge on how to turn digital asset holdings into everyday spending power without the complexity of becoming a card issuer. Whether you're building card programs without banking licenses, need stable-value accounts that scale, or want to transform closed-loop communities into real spending ecosystems, NAKA+ provides the infrastructure. Businesses can extend their offerings into everyday spending, rewards programs, or employee benefits while keeping funds under users' control. They maintain the customer relationship and user experience; NAKA handles everything behind the scenes from card processing to regulatory compliance.

We designed the NAKA+ specifically for businesses across Latin America looking to launch customized payment cards that are accepted globally for their customers. Lugano gave us the chance to showcase the technology in action, and the response from attendees showed genuine excitement about what's possible.

Learn more about the NAKA+ Visa Platinum Card here.

Our Booth Transformed Into an Adoption Hub

The NAKA booth became the center of constant activity. Visitors experienced crypto payments firsthand, and dozens of early adopters activated their NAKA+ Cards on the spot. Many immediately tested their cards around Lugano by grabbing coffee at nearby cafés, or making purchases at local shops, and the feedback came back glowing: transactions processed instantly, the experience felt seamless, and merchants had no idea they were accepting crypto payments.

Watching these first transactions happen created pure magic. Every successful payment proved that self-custodial spending works seamlessly in everyday life, and the technology faded into the background while people simply enjoyed using their money freely.

The conversations happening at our booth went deeper than just transactions. Tech enthusiasts wanted to understand every detail of the self-custodial architecture, and acquirers explored integration possibilities. Each conversation reinforced how we're building the bridge between blockchain innovation and mainstream payment infrastructure that the industry has been waiting for.

Pay2Play Brought the Excitement

We didn't come to Lugano just to talk business. Traditionally, we brought Pay2Play, our prize game that turns payment testing into competition. The setup was simple: use your NAKA+ Card around the city or make a 1 USDT payment at our booth, keep your slip, and you're entered into daily drawings for serious prizes.

The symbolic 1 USDT payments at our booth earned you any NAKA merch that was available, and also they were part of a social good campaign. All payments made in our booth are donated in El Salvador through Truhoma, a philtech startup that merges philanthropy with blockchain.

Friday's winners went home happy, one with a mini drone, another with a PlayStation 5. Saturday brought the same energy with two more winners celebrating their haul. Beyond the excitement of winning, every single 1 USDT transaction proved the same point: self-custodial payments work flawlessly in real scenarios.

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Our team left Villa Ciani buzzing with energy and one unmistakable conclusion, the market is ready. The NAKA+ Visa Platinum Card addresses a genuine need for businesses wanting to offer customers financial autonomy without sacrificing the universal acceptance that Visa provides. The response in Lugano validated our entire approach.

To everyone who stopped by our booth and everyone who became an early NAKA+ cardholder, thank you. You're actively shaping how the next generation of payments will work.

The momentum keeps building.

‍Plan ₿ Forum El Salvador hits at the end of January, and we're bringing everything we learned from Lugano. The revolution continues.

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