The settlement infrastructure allows banks to move funds faster through stablecoin rails instead of traditional banking systems.
USDC News
Visa has rolled out USDC settlement services for U.S. financial institutions on the Solana blockchain, with Cross River Bank and Lead Bank as initial participants. The payment processor plans to expand this service more broadly across its network throughout 2026.
The settlement infrastructure allows banks to move funds faster through stablecoin rails instead of traditional banking systems. Cross River and Lead Bank have already begun processing transactions with Visa using USDC on Solana, replacing conventional five-day settlement windows with around-the-clock operations.
Circle launched its layer-1 blockchain Arc on public testnet in late October with backing from over 100 partners, including Visa, Mastercard, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs. Visa serves as a design partner for the network and intends to operate a validator node while using Arc for USDC settlements within its payment infrastructure.
Rubail Birwadker, Visa's global head of growth products and strategic partnerships, explained that financial institutions want faster programmable settlement options that work smoothly with existing treasury operations. The company views stablecoin adoption as necessary to staying relevant as digital assets gain market share in cross-border payments.
Visa launched a Stablecoins Advisory Practice on Dec. 15 to help banks, merchants, and fintechs design and implement stablecoin products. The unit provides guidance on rolling out and managing digital dollar services across different business models.
The company expanded stablecoin settlement to Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on Nov. 27 through a partnership with crypto infrastructure provider Aquanow. The collaboration aims to reduce costs, operational friction and settlement times by processing transactions with approved stablecoins, including USDC.
Visa began piloting stablecoin payouts to user wallets in the U.S. on Nov. 12, allowing businesses to send payments in dollar-pegged digital assets from accounts funded with fiat currency. Select partners are currently being onboarded, with wider access planned for 2026.
Monthly stablecoin volumes across Visa's network have reached a $3.5 billion annual run rate based on Nov. 30 data. The payment giant has experimented with USDC settlement since 2021 and formally launched global pilots in 2023.
Gilles Gade, founder and CEO of Cross River Bank, noted that fintech and crypto innovators increasingly request stablecoin integration into existing product suites. He described unified platforms supporting both stablecoins and traditional payment networks as the foundation for global value movement.
This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators. This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.
