Visa is moving deeper into the digital asset space, launching a stablecoin prefunding pilot within its Visa Direct network. The initiative comes as payment companies race to identify scalable applications for stablecoins following the passage of the GENIUS Act. By focusing on cross-border transactions, Visa is positioning itself at the center of one of the most promising use cases for blockchain-backed assets: enabling real-time global money movement.

Stablecoins Enter the Mainstream Through Visa Direct

Visa Direct, which processed 10 billion transactions in 2024 and connects to 11 billion endpoints worldwide, will now accommodate third-party stablecoins as a funding mechanism. This allows businesses to pre-fund accounts for international payouts without relying on traditional bank operating hours.

Executives emphasize that Visa is not creating its own stablecoin, but instead acting as a “neutral Switzerland” for processing approved tokens under its existing rules and network procedures. That distinction is critical: by supporting tokens like PayPal’s PYUSD and other issuers, Visa avoids competing directly with crypto-native firms while providing a bridge between stablecoin liquidity and mainstream financial infrastructure.

Solving Cross-Border Frictions

The prefunding pilot is designed to address a longstanding challenge in global payments: the reliance on bank accounts that can only be funded during business hours. Companies such as rideshare platforms, which need to pay drivers in real time, often face delays when weekend demand collides with closed banking systems.

With stablecoins, firms can transfer funds instantly, even on a Saturday night, because crypto exchanges operate around the clock. Once received, Visa immediately converts the stablecoins into fiat balances that businesses can use to make payouts. This capability highlights stablecoins’ potential to eliminate liquidity bottlenecks in one of the largest and most fragmented areas of finance — cross-border settlement.

Expanding Use Cases Beyond Remittances

While large-scale remitters are the first target for the pilot, Visa sees broader opportunities. Consumer applications could allow digital wallets funded with stablecoins to connect seamlessly to Visa debit cards, enabling global spending at any merchant that accepts Visa. On the enterprise side, business-to-business accounts payable stands out as a massive opportunity.

Analysts at Crone Consulting estimate the global B2B payments market at $120 trillion to $140 trillion annually, with $32 trillion to $40 trillion involving cross-border flows. Stablecoins could offer speed, cost efficiency, and settlement certainty, particularly if integrated into enterprise resource planning and invoicing systems.

The Road Ahead: Regulation as the Gatekeeper

Despite the technical promise, regulatory uncertainty looms large. Visa acknowledges that stablecoin adoption will accelerate only when more countries align with frameworks similar to the GENIUS Act. Today, only a handful of jurisdictions have defined licensing requirements, limiting the ability to scale universally across Visa’s vast network.

Looking forward, the pilot will serve as a crucial test case for whether stablecoins can become a standard settlement layer in global finance. If successful, Visa could redefine the infrastructure of cross-border money movement, potentially accelerating institutional adoption of digital assets. Yet the pace of regulatory harmonization will determine whether this vision becomes a global reality or remains confined to fragmented pilots.