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Visa, a prominent leader in the payments industry, has launched a pilot program utilizing stablecoins to expedite cross-border payment processes. The initiative aims to reduce the traditional transaction time from days to mere minutes. In the program, banks and money transfer companies will pre-fund through Visa Direct using USDC and EURC instead of fiat currency, allowing for real-time payment processing where recipients will always receive payments in their local currency.
Visa Direct Integrates Stablecoin
As reported by Reuters, Visa’s new endeavor allows businesses to transfer money abroad without significant cash blockages, courtesy of Visa Direct’s acceptance of stablecoins as bank balances. This setup facilitates instantaneous payments, enabling companies to access liquidity faster and streamline their operations. Although the trial phase involves a limited number of partners, the potential addition of more stablecoins and institutions based on demand has been indicated.
The pilot program plans to reach a broader audience progressively by April 2026. Visa has yet to disclose its partner banks but confirmed that USDC and EURC from Circle are among the initial assets tested. A company spokesperson did not dismiss the possibility of Visa launching its own stablecoin but emphasized the current focus on integrating existing stablecoins into card, bank, and payment infrastructures.
A New Era in Global Payments
The adoption of stablecoins has accelerated following the enactment of the GENIUS Act in the US, which established clear rules for the stablecoin market, paving the way for its trillion-dollar potential. Within this framework, Visa concentrates on preserving savings in countries with volatile currencies and making international transfers faster and cheaper.
Recently, Visa has strengthened its stablecoin strategy through several collaborations. In partnership with Bridge, affiliated with Stripe, developers are offered the opportunity to issue Visa cards linked to stablecoins. The agreement with Yellow Card, which has a strong presence in Africa, explores using stablecoins in treasury and liquidity management. Visa is also conducting stablecoin-based settlement tests for Visa card issuers and acquirers and has developed the Visa Tokenized Asset Platform to enable banks to issue their own stablecoins in a pilot environment.
Chris Newkirk, Visa’s Commercial Solutions President, stated, “Cross-border payments have been entrenched in outdated systems for far too long. Visa Direct’s integration with stablecoins lays the infrastructure for money to move instantly.”
