Visa has launched a stablecoin settlement service in the United States that enables U.S. issuer and acquirer partners to settle transactions in Circle’s USDC, initially using the Solana blockchain with broader availability planned through 2026. The rollout aims to modernize Visa’s settlement layer by enabling 24/7 programmable settlement and improving treasury efficiency across participating banks.
Visa’s new service permits U.S. banks to settle transactions in USDC, a fully reserved, dollar‑denominated stablecoin, without changing the consumer card experience. Cross River Bank and Lead Bank are among the initial banking partners already settling over Solana. Visa is a design partner for Arc, a Layer‑1 blockchain developed by Circle, and plans to operate a validator node on that network. Additional partners cited in the program include Highnote and Nium.
Nikhil Chandhok, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Circle, called the step “a milestone for internet‑native money,” highlighting speed and programmability. Rubail Birwadker, Global Head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships at Visa, said banks are preparing to use faster, programmable settlement that integrates with existing treasury operations.
Visa frames the service as a re‑architecture of its settlement layer to support continuous, blockchain‑enabled value movement and automated treasury operations. The system provides seven‑day settlement windows and faster funds movement compared with traditional fiat rails limited by banking hours.
What Visa launched and who is involved
Visa reported an annualized stablecoin settlement run rate of $3.5 billion while the broader stablecoin market cap exceeds $250 billion. For context, Visa’s payments volume for the 12 months ended was $7,26 trillion, and recent company data cited roughly $40 billion in revenue over the last twelve months—figures Visa uses to frame its capacity to fund innovation.
To support adoption, Visa Consulting & Analytics has created a Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice to provide strategic guidance and market analysis to banks and businesses. Visa also supports more than 130 stablecoin‑linked card issuing programs globally, and ongoing pilots aim to extend services such as Visa Direct for qualified cross‑border payouts.
Visa acknowledges regulatory and technical considerations as the ecosystem evolves. Regulatory frameworks remain dynamic; potential stablecoin risks include de‑peg events and vulnerabilities at the underlying blockchain layer. Visa’s approach emphasizes fully reserved USDC and partnerships with established banks to mitigate counterparty and operational risks. Broader availability of the settlement capability is scheduled through 2026, marking the next verifiable milestone for expansion.
Visa’s U.S. rollout converts a multi‑year pilot into a bank‑ready settlement option that prioritizes speed, programmability and treasury automation while retaining traditional network safeguards.
