Global payments leader Visa has unveiled a new pilot program to test stablecoins for cross-border transfers. This will give businesses a faster and more flexible way to move money internationally.
The initiative will allow banks, remittance providers, and financial institutions to pre-fund Visa Direct with stablecoins instead of traditional fiat currencies.
By treating stablecoins as money in the bank or available balances for payouts, Visa aims to eliminate businesses needing to lock up large sums of cash days in advance.
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“We’re bringing stablecoins to Visa Direct, our push payments platform, enabling real-time money movement to billions of endpoints,” a Visa spokesperson said. “By doing so, we’re creating a world where payments can be settled in stablecoins, unlocking instant, global, and programmable payouts.”
Visa says the pilot will reduce settlement times from days to just minutes, helping businesses free up liquidity more quickly. Importantly, recipients can still receive payments in their local currency, making the system accessible worldwide. The program is expected to roll out with select partners and limited availability by April 2026, marking a major milestone in Visa’s stablecoin strategy.
Visa pilot program comes amid growing momentum for stablecoins following the passage of the U.S. GENIUS Act, the first federal law offering regulatory clarity for the sector. With the global stablecoin market now worth over $300 billion, analysts view the asset class as a trillion-dollar opportunity.
Visa has identified two key use cases driving stablecoin adoption:
1.) Protecting savings in emerging markets with volatile currencies.
2.) Faster, cheaper cross-border transfers for businesses and consumers.
Earlier this year, Visa partnered with Stripe-owned Bridge to enable developers to issue stablecoin-linked Visa cards and struck a deal with Yellow Card, a payments company with a strong African presence, to explore liquidity and treasury applications. It has also tested stablecoin settlement for card issuers and acquirers and launched the Visa Tokenized Asset Platform to help banks manage stablecoin issuance.
The pilot coincides with increased regulatory activity across the G7 nations. Reports reveal that Seven (G7) regulators are moving on stablecoins, with the US enacting its new law, the European Union enforcing Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation and Japan already running a live regime. So far, the market has been dominated by dollar-pegged tokens such as Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC.
Regulation is now catching up with the technology, and countries are beginning to allow stablecoins tied to their own currencies. The G7’s drive to regulate is part of a wider contest over digital money, while BRICS nations are sidestepping private stablecoins in favor of state-issued digital currencies aimed at challenging dollar dominance.
The G7 regulation comes as the market capitalization of Stablecoins has crossed $300 billion. The surge reflects stablecoins’ evolution from trading tools to essential infrastructure for DeFi, cross-border payments, and institutional finance. Also, their utility in moving money quickly across borders has fueled concerns that they could erode the market dominance of some payment companies and regional banks.
Meanwhile, BRICS nations are favoring state-backed central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) over private stablecoins, framing digital money as part of the broader contest against U.S. dollar dominance.
“Cross-border payments have been stuck in outdated systems for far too long,” said Chris Newkirk, Visa’s president of commercial and money movement solutions. “Visa Direct’s new stablecoin integration lays the groundwork for money to move instantly across the world, giving businesses more choice in how they pay.”
While stablecoins have historically been dominated by dollar-pegged tokens like Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC, regulators are beginning to allow local currency-backed stablecoins, broadening their potential impact.
Visa’s move illustrates how financial incumbents are shifting from competition to collaboration, leveraging stablecoins as tools to strengthen their infrastructure rather than disrupt it.
By combining instant settlement, global reach, and regulatory momentum, Visa’s stablecoin pilot could mark a turning point in the evolution of cross-border payments, transforming them from slow, costly processes into seamless, real-time transactions.