San Diego-Based Edge Unveils Privacy-Focused Crypto Card

AUSTIN, Texas — San Diego-based startup Edge unveiled a crypto card that does not require any personal identification data to set it up or use during CoinDesk's Consensus 2022 conference.

While there are other cards that allow users to spend crypto by converting it into fiat currency when paying out merchants, the Edge Mastercard is likely the first card not to require any personal identification data.

The Edge Mastercard supports bitcoin (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), dogecoin (DOGE), litecoin (LTC) and dash (DASH), but is only accessible to U.S. customers at launch, according to a Wednesday press release.

Users do not have to pay any fees for the card, which has a daily limit of $1,000 and also supports online payment.

The card can be used at any of the 10 million merchants across the U.S. that are on Mastercard's (MA) open-loop network. Users can input any name under the "billing address" fields, as long as it agrees with the shipping address, the statement said.

The card uses technology by Ionia, a fintech and payments startup, and is issued by Patriot Bank N.A.

Edge Mastercard is "in compliance with all requirements for issuers, card associations, regulations, local, federal and international laws," according to the press release.

Founded in 2014 as Airbitz, Edge is a self-custody digital assets exchange with $2.5 million in funding, according to startup information platform Crunchbase.

After the announcement Mastercard's director of global communications Katie Priebe said in an e-mail, "there is no such program approved or in market today."

"This card program is being administered via the Mastercard template card program by Patriot Bank. The templated program only needs to be approved by the card issuer," Joelly Gloria of Edge's Marketing team said. "The approval is in place and Edge has simultaneously submitted for a full, custom program, which requires the card network approval," she said.

"Edge is not using the full, custom program at this time, but is using the templated program...this is likely the cause of confusion, as that custom program application is currently pending, "she added, noting that the item that has not been approved is the custom designed card that we intend to have.

UPDATE (June 8, 20:51 UTC): Adds comment from Mastercard

UPDATE (June 8, 21:16 UTC): Adds comment from Edge.

UPDATE (June 9, 05:48 UTC): Summarised comments from Mastercard and Edge.