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Major U.S. banks and fintechs are gaining new on-chain settlement options as Visa USDC capabilities move from pilot to wider deployment in the American market.
Visa extends USDC settlement to U.S. banking partners
Credit card giant Visa is rolling out USDC settlement in the United States, allowing issuer and acquirer partners to discharge obligations to the card network using Circle‘s dollar-pegged stablecoin over public blockchains.
The initiative represents the U.S. phase of Visa’s stablecoin settlement program, which reached a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of Nov. 30, according to a press release published on Tuesday. Moreover, the company is positioning the service as a way to modernize traditional card settlement without changing the consumer-facing experience.
The new option is designed to give banks and fintechs near-instant funds movement, seven-day-a-week settlement and more predictable liquidity around weekends and holidays. However, cardholders will continue to transact as usual, with the blockchain-based rails operating behind the scenes.
Early U.S. participants and Solana integration
Initial participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which are already settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain. This first wave of adopters provides a proving ground for how traditional institutions can integrate stablecoin-based settlement into existing treasury and payments workflows.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to assets such as fiat currencies or gold, and they underpin much of the crypto economy by serving as payment rails and tools for cross-border transfers. Tether’s USDT remains the largest stablecoin by market value, followed by Circle’s USDC, which Visa is using for this settlement program.
That said, the company expects to extend access to more U.S. partners through 2026 and is encouraging interested clients to coordinate through their account teams as availability expands. This phased rollout suggests Visa is balancing demand for blockchain-based settlement with regulatory and operational considerations in the U.S. market.
Visa doubles down on stablecoin strategy
“Visa is expanding stablecoin settlement because our banking partners are not only asking for it 26ndash; they are preparing to use it,” said Rubail Birwadker, Visa’s global head of growth products and strategic partnerships, in the release. His comments underscore how traditional financial institutions are moving from experimentation to potential production use cases.
The card network is also deepening its relationship with Circle by serving as a lead design partner for Circle’s Arc blockchain. Visa plans to support Arc for USDC settlement, including operating a validator node once the chain goes live, further embedding itself in the stablecoin infrastructure stack.
In addition, the broader stablecoin settlement us framework at Visa is evolving beyond Solana, as the firm explores support for multiple blockchains and potentially other assets. This multi-chain stance could give partners more flexibility in how they manage on-chain liquidity and network risk.
From pilot to scaled stablecoin settlement
Visa first experimented with USDC settlement in 2021 and went on to become one of the first major payment networks to settle transactions in a stablecoin in 2023. Since then, the company has steadily added support for more blockchains and additional stablecoins inside its pilot program to give partners multiple options for fulfilling VisaNet settlement obligations.
The visa usdc initiative began as a limited test but has now grown into an infrastructure pillar with a multibillion-dollar annual run rate. Moreover, the program signals how card networks are starting to treat public blockchains as viable back-end rails for institutional money movement.
Over time, this approach could lower frictions in cross-border settlement, shorten reconciliation windows and make intraday liquidity management more dynamic. However, it also requires banks and fintechs to upgrade their treasury operations to handle on-chain assets securely and in compliance with regulation.
Target users and programmable money potential
The new U.S. rollout is aimed squarely at financial institutions, fintechs and corporate treasury teams that want to modernize settlement flows and tighten liquidity management. By settling in USDC, these entities can align card-related obligations with other blockchain-based cash management strategies.
Furthermore, Visa highlights the potential for partners to build programmable money-movement products that bridge legacy banking systems with blockchain infrastructure. This could, over time, span use cases from automated accounts receivable to embedded finance offerings that settle directly in stablecoins.
In summary, Visa’s expansion of USDC settlement to U.S. banks and fintechs marks a significant step in the convergence of traditional card networks with public blockchain infrastructure, while keeping everyday payment experiences familiar for end users.