Global payments giant Visa has launched a pilot to test stablecoins for cross-border payments, providing businesses with a new way to transfer money abroad more quickly.
The pilot will allow businesses, including banks and remittance providers, to pre-fund Visa Direct with stablecoins instead of fiat currency. Visa treats those stablecoins as “money in the bank” or available balances for payouts, enabling businesses to send money abroad without locking up large sums of cash days in advance.
“We’re bringing stablecoins to Visa Direct — our push payments platform, enabling real-time money movement to billions of endpoints,” a Visa spokesperson told The Block. “By doing so, we’re creating a world where payments can be settled in stablecoins, unlocking instant, global and programmable payouts.”
The pilot aims to cut settlement times for businesses from days to minutes, giving firms faster access to liquidity. Recipients can always be paid in their local currency, Visa said.
The company added that it is working with select partners to test the model, with limited availability planned by April 2026. The spokesperson declined to name the partners but confirmed Circle’s USDC and EURC are the first stablecoins being tested. More assets may be added later as demand develops.
Asked if Visa plans to issue its own stablecoin, the spokesperson said: "In the stablecoin ecosystem, it’s hard to rule anything out." However, the spokesperson noted the firm is currently focused on scaling use cases for existing stablecoins through cards, settlement, and bank integrations.
Visa Direct taps stablecoins
The move comes as stablecoins edge closer to mainstream adoption following the passage of the U.S. GENIUS Act, the first federal law establishing clear rules for the sector. Stablecoins are increasingly seen as a trillion-dollar market opportunity, with Visa recently pointing to two main use cases: protecting savings in emerging markets with volatile currencies and powering faster, cheaper cross-border transfers for businesses and consumers.
Visa has been steadily expanding its stablecoin strategy. Earlier this year, it partnered with Stripe-owned Bridge to enable developers to issue stablecoin-linked Visa cards, allowing users to spend stablecoin balances at merchants worldwide. In June, it struck a deal with Yellow Card, a stablecoin payments company with a strong presence in Africa, to explore treasury and liquidity use cases. It has also tested stablecoin settlement for card issuers and acquirers, and developed the Visa Tokenized Asset Platform to help banks issue and manage stablecoins in pilot environments.
“Cross-border payments have been stuck in outdated systems for far too long," said Chris Newkirk, president of commercial and money movement solutions at Visa. “Visa Direct’s new stablecoins integration lays the groundwork for money to move instantly across the world, giving businesses more choice in how they pay.”
