In a bold step toward modernizing global payments, Visa has announced a major expansion of its stablecoin settlement capabilities—now integrating the high-speed Solana blockchain and partnering with leading merchant acquirers Worldpay and Nuvei. This move builds on Visa’s earlier pilot with Crypto.com and marks a pivotal shift in how cross-border funds are settled using Circle’s USDC.
By leveraging blockchain technology and digital dollars, Visa is transforming its treasury operations to offer faster, more efficient settlement solutions for financial institutions and merchants alike. This initiative underscores the growing role of stablecoins in mainstream finance and signals a new era of real-time, borderless transactions.
Modernizing Cross-Border Settlement with USDC
When consumers swipe their Visa cards at merchants worldwide, they experience near-instant payment authorizations. Behind the scenes, however, lies a complex web of fund movement between issuing banks (where cardholders hold accounts) and acquiring banks (which serve merchants). Traditionally, this process involves multi-day clearing cycles, currency conversions, and costly wire transfers—especially across borders.
Visa’s treasury and settlement systems manage billions in transactions daily across nearly 15,000 financial institutions and over 25 currencies. Now, by incorporating USDC—a regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin—on public blockchains like Ethereum and Solana, Visa is streamlining this entire workflow.
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“By leveraging stablecoins like USDC and global blockchain networks like Solana and Ethereum, we’re helping to improve the speed of cross-border settlement and providing a modern option for our clients to easily send or receive funds from Visa’s treasury,” said Cuy Sheffield, Head of Crypto at Visa. “We’re committed to being at the forefront of digital currency innovation.”
From Issuer Pilots to Acquirer Integration
The journey began in 2021 when Visa launched a pilot with Crypto.com, becoming one of the first major payment networks to test stablecoin settlement on the issuer side. Using USDC on the Ethereum blockchain, Crypto.com now fulfills its cross-border settlement obligations for its Visa card program in Australia—replacing slow, expensive international wires with near-instant blockchain transfers.
Previously, settling transactions required days of processing and intermediary banks. Today, Crypto.com sends USDC directly to a Circle-managed account under Visa’s control, drastically reducing settlement time and operational complexity. The success of this model has paved the way for broader adoption.
Now, Visa is extending these benefits beyond issuers to merchant acquirers—the institutions that collect payments on behalf of merchants. Through new pilot programs with Worldpay and Nuvei, Visa can push settlement payouts in USDC directly to acquirers, who then distribute funds to their merchant clients.
This shift is particularly impactful for digital-native businesses—such as crypto on-ramps, NFT marketplaces, and blockchain gaming platforms—that prefer receiving payments in stablecoins rather than traditional fiat.
Why Solana? Speed, Scale, and Efficiency
As demand grows for faster and cheaper transaction rails, Visa has responded by adding support for the Solana blockchain—a high-performance network capable of handling thousands of transactions per second with minimal fees.
Solana offers:
- Block times of just 400 milliseconds
- Average throughput of 400 transactions per second (TPS)
- Peak capacity exceeding 2,000 TPS during high-demand periods
These capabilities make Solana an ideal choice for real-time settlement use cases where speed and cost-efficiency are critical. With this integration, Visa becomes one of the first large-scale payment companies to utilize Solana for live settlement flows between partners.
This expansion allows clients to choose between Ethereum and Solana based on their performance needs—giving them flexibility without sacrificing security or interoperability.
Strategic Partnerships Driving Adoption
Visa’s collaboration with Worldpay and Nuvei reflects a strategic push to embed stablecoin settlements into core payment infrastructure.
Jim Johnson, President of Worldpay Merchant Solutions at FIS, emphasized the operational advantages:
“Visa’s USDC settlement capability enables Worldpay to bring more of our treasury operations in-house and allows us to offer merchants more choices for receiving funds. Diversifying funding options and increasing flexibility is critical to serving the changing needs of global merchants.”
Philip Fayer, Chair and CEO of Nuvei, echoed this sentiment:
“Stablecoins like USDC are cutting-edge payments technology that can enable online businesses around the world to accelerate their growth. As a leading global payments company, we’re constantly focused on innovation—and we’re excited to work with Visa to bring these capabilities to our partners.”
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Core Keywords Driving the Future of Payments
This transformation is powered by key innovations centered around several core concepts:
- Stablecoin settlement
- USDC
- Visa crypto integration
- Solana blockchain
- Cross-border payments
- Digital dollar
- Blockchain payments
- Merchant acquirer solutions
These terms reflect not only the technical foundation of the initiative but also the evolving expectations of businesses and consumers in a digitized economy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is stablecoin settlement?
Stablecoin settlement refers to using digital currencies pegged to fiat—like USDC (tethered 1:1 to the U.S. dollar)—to transfer value across borders instantly via blockchain networks. It replaces traditional banking rails with decentralized, transparent, and faster alternatives.
How does Visa use USDC for settlements?
Visa uses USDC on public blockchains (Ethereum and Solana) to receive funds from issuers or send payouts to acquirers. These transactions settle in minutes instead of days, improving liquidity management and reducing counterparty risk.
Why did Visa choose Solana?
Solana was selected for its high throughput, low transaction costs, and rapid finality—making it ideal for high-volume payment settlement scenarios where speed and efficiency are paramount.
Which companies are involved in Visa’s stablecoin pilots?
Current partners include Crypto.com (issuer), Worldpay, and Nuvei (acquirers). These collaborations test end-to-end USDC flows within Visa’s global network.
Can all merchants receive USDC through this system?
Not yet universally—but through acquirers like Worldpay and Nuvei, select merchants—especially those in crypto, gaming, and digital goods—can now opt to receive settlements in USDC.
Is this replacing traditional fiat settlements?
No. This is an enhancement, not a replacement. Visa continues to support traditional fiat settlement while offering stablecoins as an additional, modern option for clients seeking faster, more flexible fund movement.
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The Road Ahead: A More Inclusive Financial System
Visa’s continued investment in blockchain-based settlement reflects a broader vision: building a more inclusive, efficient, and resilient financial ecosystem. By embracing digital dollars and decentralized infrastructure, the company is helping bridge traditional finance with the innovations of Web3.
As more businesses demand real-time settlements and greater control over their cash flows, solutions like USDC on Solana will become increasingly essential. With strategic partnerships, scalable technology, and a commitment to innovation, Visa is positioning itself at the heart of the next-generation payment revolution.
The future of money movement isn’t just faster—it’s smarter, more accessible, and built for a borderless world.