Visa has expanded its stablecoin strategy by officially launching USDC-based settlement in the United States, allowing U.S. issuer and acquirer partners to settle transactions directly with Visa using Circle’s USDC. Announced on December 16, the move marks a major step in Visa’s effort to modernize its global settlement infrastructure using blockchain technology.
The new capability enables 24/7 settlement, including weekends and holidays, while offering faster fund movement and improved operational resilience. Importantly, Visa emphasized that this change does not affect the consumer card experience, keeping payments seamless for end users. Initial participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, both of which are already settling transactions using USDC on the Solana blockchain. Visa plans to expand availability to more U.S. partners in the coming year.
As part of its broader roadmap, Visa also plans to integrate with Circle’s Layer-1 blockchain, Arc, and operate a validator node once the network launches beyond its current public testnet phase. Visa is serving as a design partner for Arc, exploring how its performance and scalability can support global, onchain commercial activity at Visa’s scale.
This announcement follows closely on the heels of Visa launching a Stablecoins Advisory Practice for banks and fintechs, reinforcing the company’s growing commitment to stablecoin-based payments, cross-border settlements, and blockchain-native financial infrastructure. Together, these moves signal Visa’s intent to play a central role in the evolving digital payments ecosystem powered by regulated stablecoins.
Source: coinspeaker.com
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