CMC News

#Visa Launches $USDC Settlements on #Solana for U.S. Banks

Visa has rolled out $USDC settlement services for U.S. financial institutions on the $SOL 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.