Key Takeaways:
- Visa is piloting stablecoin integration (USDC and EURC) on its Visa Direct platform for instant cross-border payments.
- The pilot enables pre-approved institutions to pre-fund transfers using stablecoins, improving liquidity and reducing FX risks.
- Visa plans broader expansion in 2026 after reporting $225 million in stablecoin settlements amid growing industry interest.
Visa has launched a pilot program to integrate stablecoins into its Visa Direct platform, aiming to modernize cross-border payments and treasury operations.
Announced at SIBOS 2025, the initiative enables select financial institutions to pre-fund international transfers using Circle’s USDC and EURC, which Visa treats as cash equivalents within its ecosystem.
Visa bets on stablecoins to speed up cross-border payments https://t.co/Jkd2CBdUog
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) September 30, 2025
This integration is designed to support near-instant settlements, improve liquidity management, and reduce reliance on outdated banking processes.
Chris Newkirk, Visa’s president of commercial and money movement solutions, emphasized that the move lays the groundwork for faster global payments, giving businesses more flexibility in how they pay.
By using stablecoins instead of traditional fiat pre-funding, participants can potentially free up capital, lower foreign exchange risks, and maintain predictability in transactions, particularly outside business hours.
So far, Visa has processed over $225 million in stablecoin volume, a small fraction of its $16 trillion annual payments.
The pilot is currently limited to approved partners, with expansion planned for 2026.
The initiative comes as blockchain-based settlement gains traction, highlighted by Swift’s collaboration with Consensys and major institutions, and growing investor backing for startups like RedotPay and Bastion.
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