Visa has launched a pilot program allowing select businesses to fund international payments with stablecoins, aiming to speed up and modernize cross-border money movement. This new initiative, unveiled at SIBOS 2025, enables organizations to use digital tokens like USDC and EURC instead of locking up cash in local accounts before sending funds abroad. The company’s real-time payments platform, Visa Direct, now treats approved stablecoins as cash equivalents, letting firms pre-fund their accounts and access global payout capability more efficiently.
Industry leaders at Visa say the change could help dissolve the barriers created by old, slow systems for cross-border payments. “This lays the groundwork for instant payments across the world, giving businesses more freedom in how they operate,” said Chris Newkirk, president of commercial and money movement solutions at Visa. The move is seen as a direct response to new U.S. regulations, such as the GENIUS Act, which have clarified the rules for stablecoin issuers and encouraged major institutions to embrace digital assets.
The stablecoin market now tops $300 billion globally, with Visa having already settled over $225 million in digital tokens, though this is still small compared to its $16 trillion annual total payment volume. The pilot is currently restricted to select partners that meet Visa’s requirements, with a wider rollout and limited public availability anticipated from April 2026.
