Overview
- Visa is linking its network with Aquanow’s digital asset stack so issuers and acquirers can settle with approved stablecoins such as USDC, lowering costs and speeding cross‑border flows.
- The capability operates 365 days a year as a parallel backend rail, reducing reliance on correspondent banking and traditional settlement cutoffs.
- Visa reports its digital‑currency platform is running at roughly a $2.5 billion annualized pace after starting stablecoin settlement pilots in 2023.
- Aquanow supplies liquidity and conversion services and operates through a Dubai entity licensed by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority to support institutional settlement.
- The expansion comes as rulemakers refine stablecoin frameworks, with Europe’s MiCA and the U.S. GENIUS Act in place and the Basel Committee reassessing bank risk treatment of crypto exposures.