Visa is integrating stablecoins into its Visa Direct platform for the first time, enabling businesses to use digital assets for pre-funding international transactions.
Visa announced a pilot program within Visa Direct that allows businesses to pre-fund cross-border transfers using stablecoins. The solution aims to speed up access to liquidity, reduce costs, and simplify the management of international payments. Globally, the project is designed to replace slow and expensive traditional cross-border mechanisms with a modern tool that frees up capital and improves predictability in treasury operations.
Traditionally, cross-border settlements require reserving significant amounts in fiat, which ties up funds and complicates liquidity access. Visa’s new approach allows companies to use stablecoins as the equivalent of fiat on their accounts, ensuring funds are ready for payouts without locking up capital in advance.
According to Chris Newkirk, President of Commercial & Money Movement Solutions at Visa, existing global transfer mechanisms are outdated, and integrating stablecoins lays the foundation for instant movement of money worldwide.
Key benefits of the pilot program:
- Faster transfers. Operations that previously took several days can now be completed within minutes.
- Optimized liquidity. Companies keep capital in active use without removing it from circulation.
- Stability. Stablecoins reduce currency volatility risks and simplify financial forecasting.
The pilot targets banks, payment companies, and organizations with high volumes of cross-border payments. Early partners are already joining the program, with broader rollout expected in April 2026.
Visa continues to expand its digital payment infrastructure, combining the global scale of its network with blockchain capabilities. The move strengthens Visa’s ongoing strategy to build a modern, fast, and flexible international payment system tailored to the needs of the digital economy.
