Visa has launched an innovative pilot program enabling banks and financial institutions to pre-fund cross-border payments using stablecoins. Announced at SIBOS 2025, this initiative allows select partners to leverage Circle’s USDC and EURC stablecoins as cash equivalents for near-instant payouts.
Chris Newkirk, Visa’s president of commercial and money movement solutions, emphasized the urgency of modernizing cross-border payments, stating,
“Cross-border payments have been stuck in outdated systems for far too long.”
The pilot aims to reduce the need for capital to be parked in advance, offering treasury teams greater flexibility. “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,” Newkirk added.
Designed for banks, remittance services, and financial institutions looking to optimize liquidity management, the pilot treats stablecoins as cash equivalents when initiating payouts. This approach minimizes the need to hold fiat currencies across multiple corridors, allowing participants to free up working capital and reduce exposure to currency volatility.
Stablecoin pre-funding also aims to improve predictability in treasury cash flows, especially during weekends and off-hours when traditional payment systems are inactive.
To date, Visa has processed over $225 million in stablecoin transaction volume through this program. While this represents a small fraction of Visa’s $16 trillion in annual payments, it marks a significant step toward integrating blockchain-based assets into mainstream financial infrastructure.
For now, the pilot is restricted to partners meeting Visa’s internal criteria, with a broader rollout planned for 2026.
Visa’s announcement follows swiftly on the heels of SWIFT’s collaboration with Ethereum developer ConsenSys and over 30 financial institutions to create a blockchain-based settlement platform. This initiative aims to enable 24/7 real-time cross-border payments—another sign of financial giants embracing blockchain technology.
Meanwhile, the stablecoin payments market is heating up. Last week, startup RedotPay attained unicorn status after raising $47 million in a Coinbase Ventures-led round, joined by Galaxy Ventures and Vertex Ventures.
During the same week, stablecoin infrastructure firm Bastion secured $14.6 million, backed by Coinbase Ventures, Sony, Samsung Next, Andreessen Horowitz, and Hashed.
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