Visa Accelerates Stablecoin Momentum: Adding Five Blockchains for Settlement

Key Terms

stablecoin financial

A stablecoin is a type of digital currency designed to keep its value steady, often by being backed by traditional assets like money or commodities. For investors, stablecoins offer a reliable way to move money quickly across digital platforms without the value fluctuations common with other cryptocurrencies, making them useful for saving, trading, or transferring funds with less risk of sudden losses.

blockchain technical

A blockchain is a digital record-keeping system that securely stores information across many computers, making it difficult to alter or tamper with. Think of it like a shared, unchangeable ledger that everyone can see and verify, ensuring transparency and trust. For investors, this technology offers a way to securely track transactions and assets without relying on a central authority, potentially reducing costs and increasing security.

layer-1 blockchain technical

A layer-1 blockchain is the base network that records and finalizes transactions and enforces rules for a digital ledger, acting like the operating system or road network for all activity built on top of it. It matters to investors because its speed, security, transaction costs and ability to host applications directly affect user adoption and the value of tokens or services that rely on that network; stronger, more scalable base layers tend to attract more activity and investment.

validator technical

A validator is a person or system that checks and confirms the accuracy and legitimacy of information, transactions, or data before they are accepted and recorded. In the context of digital assets or currencies, validators ensure that transactions follow the rules and are genuine, helping maintain trust and security in the system. For investors, validators are important because they help prevent errors or fraud, ensuring the integrity of the financial network.

settlement pilot financial

A settlement pilot is a temporary, controlled test run of changes to how securities trades are finalized and ownership and cash are exchanged. Think of it as a trial of a new checkout system at a store: it lets regulators and market participants see whether faster, different or automated settlement procedures work, what risks appear, and how costs or liquidity are affected. Investors care because settlement changes can alter trade timing, counterparty risk, and the reliability of executing and receiving funds or shares.

onchain technical

"Onchain" describes activities, transactions, or data that happen directly on a blockchain, which is a digital ledger that records information transparently and securely. For investors, onchain activities provide real-time insights into how assets are moving and how networks are functioning, helping them make more informed decisions. Think of it as watching transactions happen live on a public record, similar to seeing a receipt posted online immediately after a purchase.

Stablecoin settlement pilot sees record growth 50% quarter over quarter, reaching $7B run rate.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Visa (NYSE: V) announced that it is adding five blockchains to its global stablecoin settlement pilot, expanding how issuers and acquirers can settle with the network. As stablecoins move into mainstream payment flows, Visa’s stablecoin settlement pilot now supports nine blockchains and has reached a $7 billion annualized stablecoin settlement run rate, up 50% since last quarter.

Visa is adding support for five additional blockchains, further expanding its multi-chain settlement capabilities.

“Our partners are building in a multi-chain world, and they expect their options to reflect that reality,” said Rubail Birwadker, Global Head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships, Visa. “Expanding our stablecoin settlement pilot program to more blockchains means our partners can choose the networks that best fit their needs, while relying on Visa to provide a common settlement layer across all of them.”

Newly supported blockchains

Visa is adding support for five additional blockchains, further expanding its multi-chain settlement capabilities:

• Arc: An open Layer-1 blockchain created by Circle, purpose-built to unite programmable money and onchain innovation with real-world economic activity.
• Base: A high-performance blockchain enabling fast, low-cost settlement for stablecoins, onchain assets and agentic commerce. Powered by Coinbase.
• Canton: Built with configurable privacy for regulated capital markets, enabling compliant settlement for institutional use cases.
• Polygon: A leading blockchain payments solution that enables fast, low-cost transactions, delivering seamless, high-throughput infrastructure for global payments and digital commerce.
• Tempo: Focused on faster, private, and more efficient movement of stablecoin liquidity and settlement flows.

With these additions, Visa now supports nine blockchains across its global stablecoin settlement pilot program, giving partners more choice while building on existing support for Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Stellar.

From experimentation to multi-chain reality

Over the past year, stablecoins have evolved from a promising innovation to a practical way to move money globally, and Visa’s settlement pilots are helping partners streamline operations.

This builds on years of live pilots and regional rollouts across LAC, Europe, AP and CEMEA, as well as the recent expansion of USDC settlement to U.S. banks and 130+ stablecoin-linked card programs in more than 50 countries. The move to nine supported blockchains mirrors a broader trend: liquidity and activity now span a diverse, multi-chain ecosystem, and settlement infrastructure is evolving to match to provide more choice.

Visa is building toward a future where interoperability is essential. Supporting multiple blockchains gives partners more choice in how they access liquidity across ecosystems and adapt as the landscape changes, while Visa eases some of the underlying complexity so institutions can use stablecoins through a trusted, global network.

Continued momentum

The growth to a $7B run rate underscores increasing confidence in blockchain infrastructure from financial institutions, fintechs, and payment providers. Stablecoin settlement over blockchain infrastructure is becoming a viable complement to traditional settlement rails.

As adoption continues, Visa remains focused on bridging traditional finance and blockchain-based systems - bringing the same standards of reliability, security, and scale to both.

Partner perspectives

“Arc is designed to provide the performance, predictability, and reliable access to liquidity needed to support real-time settlement at a global scale. Our work with Visa reflects growing demand for stablecoins like USDC and blockchain infrastructure that can settle today’s payment flows instantly while enabling the next era of programmable commerce and agent-driven economic activity.” Nikhil Chandhok, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Circle.

“Our goal with Base has always been to make onchain the new standard. Visa’s expansion is a pivotal step in making stablecoin payments a daily reality for billions of people, enabling a faster, cheaper, and more useful financial system for everyone,” said Jesse Pollak, Founder of Base.

“Canton was designed to meet demanding requirements of regulated institutions, and Visa’s stablecoin settlement platform provides a bridge that lets them explore onchain settlement while staying aligned with their compliance requirements,” said Eric Saraniecki, Head of Network Strategy at Digital Asset, co-founder of the Canton Network.

“Visa adding Polygon signals that stablecoins are moving into real world payments at scale. By combining Visa’s global reach with Polygon’s fast, low-cost infrastructure, we are making stablecoin settlement more practical, reliable, and accessible for partners around the world,” said Marc Boiron, CEO, Polygon Labs.

“Tempo is focused on real-time stablecoin settlement, and Visa’s participation as both a validator and settlement partner helps bring always-on, programmable payments closer to the mainstream,” said Ani Narayan, GTM, Tempo.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260429143049/en/

Media Contacts
Jackie Dresch - jdresch@visa.com
Conor Febos cfebos@visa.com

Source: Visa Inc.