Overview

• Businesses in the pilot can pre-fund Visa Direct with stablecoins that Visa counts as cash-on-hand, reducing the need to park fiat in local accounts.
• The test starts with Circle’s USDC and EURC as the initial tokens used for prefunding on Visa’s real-time payouts platform.
• Visa says the program aims to cut settlement friction, speed access to liquidity, and give institutions more flexibility in managing global payouts.
• The company has not named the participating banks or remittance firms and plans broader expansion next year if testing proceeds as expected.
• Executives cite the GENIUS Act as a catalyst for institutional adoption, while some market observers warn stablecoins could pressure regional banks and certain payment providers.