Visa’s Game-Changer: Stablecoin Payouts Hit Visa Direct via BVNK Partnership
Visa just rewired the rails of global finance—and traditional banks might not like the new map.
The payments giant, through a partnership with crypto infrastructure platform BVNK, has integrated stablecoin payouts directly into its Visa Direct network. This isn't a pilot or a sandbox experiment; it's a live, operational bridge between blockchain-based digital dollars and the world's most ubiquitous payment rails.
Cutting Out the Middleman (and the Wait)
Forget multi-day settlement cycles and costly correspondent banking fees. The integration allows businesses to send near-instant, cross-border payments using stablecoins like USDC, which are then converted and delivered as local fiat to a recipient's Visa card. It bypasses the traditional, clogged plumbing of international transfers entirely.
Why This Isn't Just Another Crypto Headline
This move signals a fundamental shift. Visa isn't just dabbling in digital assets; it's systematically embedding them into its core infrastructure. Visa Direct processed over $3 trillion in volume last year—connecting this firehose to stablecoins creates a liquidity superhighway that could make blockchain-based payments boringly normal for millions.
It's a masterstroke of pragmatism. They're not forcing merchants to hold crypto or consumers to understand wallets. They're simply using the efficiency of blockchain to make the old system faster and cheaper—a Trojan horse strategy for mass adoption.
The Cynical Take
Of course, the old guard will spin this as "innovation." But let's be real: it's also a brilliant hedge. While banks spend millions lobbying against decentralized threats, Visa is quietly building the toll booths on the very roads that might bypass them. Another case of the incumbent selling shovels in a gold rush they helped create.
The walls between crypto and mainstream finance aren't just crumbling—they're being dismantled, brick by brick, by the very institutions that built them. The race isn't to replace the system anymore; it's to own the fastest on-ramp. And Visa just hit the accelerator.
Visa expands real-time payments
Visa Direct already has use cases with high volume, such as payroll distribution, gig economy compensation, and cross-border remittances. With the addition of stablecoins on the platform, businesses have an alternative method of settlement.
The system allows companies to pay transactions in advance with the help of stablecoins before they make payouts. Funds then immediately settle into backed digital wallets.
Mark Nelsen, Visa’s global head of product, said there are definite advantages in international payments using stablecoins. He said the technology helps to reduce friction as well as increase access to efficient digital payment tools.
Visa sees the integration as a pragmatic step towards combining blockchain rails with the existing payment infrastructure. He noted, “Stablecoins are an exciting opportunity for global payments, with enormous potential to reduce friction and expand access to faster, more efficient payment options.”
BVNK powers stablecoin transfers
BVNK offers the underlying infrastructure for the stablecoin settlement process. The UK-based firm already handles over $30 billion worth of stablecoin transactions annually. Through the partnership, BVNK manages the process of moving and settling the stablecoins across supported markets.
Visa, in turn, links that capability to its worldwide payout network. Consequently, businesses can access blockchain settlement without having to build their own infrastructure for managing digital assets.
Visa first invested in BVNK through its venture arm in May 2025. Five months later, Citigroup made a strategic investment in the company backing the stablecoin platform. These investments indicate the growing institutional support of blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
The companies confirmed that the rollout will start in areas where there is strong demand for digital asset payments. However, they did not mention specific markets for the initial phase. Expansion decisions will be based on customer demand and business use cases, according to Visa.
Additionally, according to the announcement, all transactions will still be subject to local compliance and regulatory requirements. Visa stressed that the integration is in line with its existing risk and governance frameworks.
As a result, stablecoin payouts will be subject to the same standards as used across Visa’s large payment ecosystem. It is worth noting that Visa reported that its stablecoin settlement run rate had topped 3.5 billion per annum as of November 2025. In addition to the BVNK pilot, Visa has begun allowing U.S. banks to make transactions in USDC, a dollar-backed stablecoin, over the solana blockchain.
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