Visa’s New Stablecoin Pilot Helps Freelancers and Online Creators Avoid Payment Delays and High Fees

Visa Pilots Stablecoin Payouts To Transform How Gig Workers Get Paid

Visa is testing a new way to pay freelancers and digital creators — directly in stablecoins.

The global payments company announced a pilot that allows US-based marketplaces to send payouts in dollar-pegged digital assets such as Circle’s USDC, part of its effort to modernise money movement for the global gig economy.

The initiative lets businesses fund payments in traditional US dollars while recipients receive them in stablecoins, delivered instantly to their crypto wallets.

The pilot operates under Visa Direct, a platform that already enables near-instant transfers through Visa’s existing network.

During the announcement at Web Summit in Lisbon, Chris Newkirk, Visa’s president of commercial and money movement solutions, said,

“Launching stablecoin payouts is about enabling truly universal access to money in minutes — not days — for anyone, anywhere in the world.”

Why Visa Is Turning To Stablecoins

Traditional cross-border payment systems often take days and come with high fees — a pain point for gig workers, freelancers, and creators who rely on fast, global payments.

With this pilot, Visa is targeting what it calls the “micropreneur” economy: people who work across borders and prefer to receive income in digital dollars rather than volatile local currencies.

The move allows creators and freelancers to bypass conventional bank transfers entirely.

Recipients only need a stablecoin-compatible wallet and must pass standard compliance checks, including anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) procedures.

By embedding stablecoin functionality into Visa Direct, the company hopes to bridge blockchain technology with its trusted payment infrastructure, which already supports over 4 billion account holders and 130 million merchants worldwide.

Inside The Pilot Programme

The pilot is currently limited to businesses and platforms operating within the United States, but Visa plans to expand the programme globally in 2026, depending on regulatory developments.

The company is in the process of onboarding partners, with the new service expected to complement rather than replace fiat payouts.

Unlike previous tests launched in September that focused on pre-funding business accounts with stablecoins, this phase moves closer to end users — enabling real-time stablecoin deposits to individual wallets.

Although Visa did not disclose specific participants, the service could appeal to platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Fiverr that pay creators small, frequent amounts across borders.

A Growing Web Of Crypto Partnerships

Visa’s latest pilot builds on a growing list of partnerships and investments in blockchain-based finance.

Earlier in 2025, it partnered with stablecoin firms Bridge and Paxos, integrating tokens like PayPal’s PYUSD and USDG — a digital dollar issued by a consortium that includes Robinhood and Kraken.

In May, Visa Ventures invested in London-based stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK, and the company recently joined Circle’s testnet for Arc, a Layer-1 blockchain network supported by firms such as BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.

Visa’s head of growth products and partnerships, Rubail Birwadker, said,

“We believe that when stablecoins are trusted, scalable and interoperable, they can fundamentally transform how money moves around the world.”

Rival Mastercard is also expanding its footprint in crypto payments, forming partnerships with Ripple, Ondo Finance, Fiserv, and Kraken.

Both firms appear to be positioning themselves for the next phase of digital money — one that merges regulated financial systems with blockchain rails.

Crypto-Friendly Policy Environment Fuels Adoption

The pilot coincides with a broader policy shift in the United States under President Donald Trump, whose administration has supported legislation defining stablecoin issuers and their operating conditions.

This legal clarity has encouraged legacy financial players like Visa and Mastercard to accelerate blockchain adoption within their payment ecosystems.

Visa has also updated its internal frameworks to make it easier for fintechs and crypto banks to integrate blockchain technology.

Vijit Katta, CEO of crypto neobank Tria, told a news media,

“What we are doing right now was definitely not possible, say, two years ago. The technical complexities that Visa has allowed has changed the game in terms of how a self-custodial neobank can operate.”

The Future Of Payments Is Testing The Old Rules

Visa’s foray into stablecoin payouts shows how legacy finance is adapting rather than resisting the rise of digital money.

But it also highlights a tension: while blockchain promises faster, borderless payments, Visa’s model still relies on fiat funding and centralised controls.

Coinlive believes this hybrid approach — merging compliance-heavy systems with open blockchain networks — may determine who dominates the future of payments.

Visa’s scale gives it an advantage, but innovation often moves faster outside legacy institutions.

Whether Visa’s stablecoin ambitions can evolve beyond pilot status will depend not just on regulation, but on how much control the company is willing to let go of in a decentralised world.