💳 Visa Testing Stablecoin Pre-Funding for Global Payments
Visa is piloting a program that enables banks and other financial institutions to pre-fund cross-border payments using stablecoins. At SIBOS 2025, Visa announced the integration of blockchain-based solutions with traditional finance.
Visa Direct’s new pilot program uses stablecoins, including Circle’s USDC ($0.9995) and EURC (€1.07), to enable near-real-time payouts. This approach improves treasury operations and reduces idle capital across jurisdictions.
“Outdated systems have been at the heart of cross-border payments for too long,” said Chris Newkirk, Visa President of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions.
The pairing of Visa Direct with stablecoins allows instant global money movement and greater payment flexibility for businesses.
⚙️ How the Pilot Works
This program targets remittance services, banks, and financial institutions looking to optimize liquidity management. Participants can fund Visa Direct with stablecoins instead of fiat, treating the digital assets as cash to free up working capital and reduce currency exposure.
Pre-funding allows payments to move even during weekends and off-hours, improving treasury flow predictability. Visa reported completing $225 million in stablecoin transactions, though this is minor compared to the $16 trillion in annual payments globally. The pilot targets select partners and anticipates wider adoption in 2026.
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🌐 Growing Trend in Blockchain Payments
The finance sector is increasingly adopting blockchain for payments. One day prior to Visa’s announcement, SWIFT partnered with Consensys and 30+ financial institutions to develop a 24/7 blockchain settlement platform for cross-border payments.
Meanwhile, the stablecoin ecosystem is seeing rapid investment:
- RedotPay reached unicorn status with a $47M raise led by Coinbase Ventures, with participation from Galaxy Ventures and Vertex Ventures.
- Bastion, a stablecoin infrastructure startup, raised $14.6M led by Coinbase Ventures, with contributions from Sony, Samsung Next, a16z, and Hashed.
Visa’s testing of stablecoins signals a shift from niche applications to practical, fast, and efficient global payment solutions.
