If you were a Ready Card user outside Europe and blinked on June 16, you might have missed the warning entirely. The self-custodial Mastercard debit card, linked to the Ready wallet (formerly known as Argent), announced the immediate deactivation of card services for users outside the European Economic Area. Users got roughly one hour’s notice.
The culprit: changes made by Kulipa, Ready Card’s regulated card-issuing service provider. The result: anyone outside the EEA who was swiping their card at merchants wherever Mastercard is accepted suddenly couldn’t anymore.
What actually happened, and what’s still working
Here’s the important distinction. Card spending is dead for non-EEA users. Their accounts and digital assets, primarily held in USDC, are not.
Ready emphasized that user funds remain secure and accessible despite the card functionality going dark. The self-custody model, powered by smart contracts, means users still control their own assets. They just can’t spend them through the card anymore.
