Raise Network Selects Solana as Infrastructure Partner to Power A New On-Chain Gift Card and Loyalty Ecosystem

Raise debuts the first fully programmable on-chain gift card ahead of the holiday season, now live on mainnet on Solana's high-speed blockchain; $RAISE token expected in H1 2026

MIAMI, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Raise Network, a pioneer in digital payments and loyalty, today announced it has selected Solana as the infrastructure partner for its SmartCard technology—programmable, secure, and interoperable digital gift cards designed to bring brand value on-chain. The strategic partnership reflects a shared vision for scaling, real-world applications on blockchain technology, and accelerating SmartCard development with support from the Solana Foundation.

With SmartCards now live on Mainnet on Solana, Raise is delivering the first fully programmable gift card on-chain, unlocking new possibilities for incentives, loyalty rewards, and multi-brand value, all while giving consumers access to millions of stores worldwide. Consumers will be able to deposit crypto and seamlessly swap it for a SmartCard, allowing them to spend it at nearly any retailer, thereby creating a direct bridge between digital assets and global commerce.

Early components of the Raise One platform are releasing alongside this launch, marking the beginning of an expanded suite of products rolling out through 2026. As part of this roadmap, the $RAISE token is expected in the first half of 2026 to support the Raise Network ecosystem as it scales its on-chain loyalty and payments infrastructure.

"We've been building toward this moment for years. Choosing a blockchain wasn't just about throughput or fees—it was about finding a partner that aligned with our vision of bringing a trillion-dollar industry on-chain in a way that's scalable, secure, and actually usable by consumers and brands," said George Bousis, Founder and CEO of Raise. "In many ways, gift cards were the first stablecoin–trusted, transferable, and tied to real value. By bringing gift cards on-chain, we're unlocking their full potential for the digital economy and reshaping what loyalty and payments can look like for the long term."

Solana's high-speed, low-latency Layer 1 network provides the foundation to make this vision possible, enabling programmable features at scale without sacrificing cost or performance. Its developer ecosystem and proven resilience make it uniquely suited to support Raise's mission. From retail rewards to everyday spending, Raise's SmartCards demonstrate how Solana can support applications that meet real consumer demand. 

"Raise is turning gift cards - a trillion-dollar consumer staple - into programmable money," added Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation. Solana delivers the global scale, speed, and low cost to make this work for everyday spend. The result is new retail experiences and one unified rail for loyalty, rewards, and payments."

This launch comes just ahead of the holiday season, when gift cards are the most popular gift and generate over a trillion in sales each year. By eliminating common pain points such as fraud, security risks, and limited flexibility, Raise is introducing a programmable alternative that provides consumers and retailers with greater confidence and more ways to utilize gift cards. To date, Raise has facilitated more than $5 billion in gift card transactions and works with millions of stores worldwide.
To learn more, visit www.raise.com

About Raise
Raise, a renowned pioneer in the gift card industry, has been at the forefront of innovation since its inception in 2013. The company has facilitated over $5 billion in transactions through its Raise consumer app, exchange (GCX), and B2B (Raise for Business) operations. With millions of stores and brand partnerships, Raise offers activation and real-time redemption capabilities across a network of over one million stores, websites, and applications. For more information, please visit https://www.raise.com/.

About Solana
Solana is a blockchain built for mass adoption. It's a high performance network that is utilized for a range of use cases, including finance, NFTs, payments, and gaming. Solana operates as a single global state machine, and is open, interoperable and decentralized. For more information, please visit https://solana.com.

About Solana Foundation
The Solana Foundation is a non-profit foundation based in Zug, Switzerland, dedicated to the decentralization, adoption, and security of the Solana network. For more information, please visit https://solana.org/.

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SOURCE Raise