Visa (V) is offering U.S. banks and fintechs the ability to settle transactions with the company in Circle Internet Group’s USDC (USDC-USD) stablecoin, the company said Tuesday, further integrating blockchain and stablecoins into the traditional financial system amid a more pro-crypto regulatory environment.
Initial banking participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which have started settling with Visa (V) in USDC over the Solana blockchain. Broader availability in the U.S. is planned through 2026.
Visa (V) is also a design partner for Arc, a new Layer 1 blockchain developed by Circle (CRCL) that’s currently in public testnet. Visa plans to use Arc for USDC settlement within its network and to operate a validator node once Arc is live.
Circle Internet (CRCL) stock climbed 3.6%, while Visa (V) stock edged up 0.1% in premarket trading.
The payment network giant is adding the new service as the company’s settlement volume via stablecoin has accelerated, reaching a $3.5B annualized run rate as of Nov. 30, 2025. While growing, that’s still a fraction of Visa’s total payments volume of $7.26T for the 12-months ended Sept. 30, 2025.
“Financial institutions are looking for faster, programmable settlement options that integrate seamlessly with their existing treasury operations,” said Rubail Birwadker, global head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships for Visa (V). “By bringing USDC settlement to the U.S., Visa is delivering a reliable, bank‑ready capability that improves treasury efficiency while maintaining the security, compliance and resiliency standards our network requires.”
Along with the USDC settlement, Visa Consulting & Analytics launched its Stablecoins Advisory Practice to provide insights and recommendations to guide banks, fintechs, merchants, and businesses on market fit, strategy, and implementation.
Visa (V) and its rival, Mastercard (MA) have been exploring the uses of stablecoin as they seek to utilize the technology to make payments more efficient rather than get overtaken by the technology that started as a way to decentralize the finance system.
Last month, Visa said it started a pilot program to allow businesses and platforms to send stablecoin payouts directly to creators and gig workers. And in September, it introduced a stablecoin prefunding pilot through Visa Direct for cross-border payments that allow businesses to fund transactions with stablecoins instead of fiat currency.
More than four years ago, Visa (V) started allowing transaction settlement in Circle’s (CRCL) USDC (USDC-USD) stablecoin and in 2023 it expanded its stablecoin settlement capabilities to the Solana blockchain.
In November, Ripple partnered with Mastercard (MA) and Gemini Space Station (GEMI) to pilot stablecoin settlement in XRPL. And in October, Fortune reported that Mastercard (MA) was in advanced talks to buy crypto and stablecoin infrastructure company Zero Hash.