Visa Accelerates Stablecoin Adoption With New Advisory Services

Visa is making a stronger push into crypto infrastructure as the payments giant launches a dedicated Stablecoins Advisory Practice, aimed at helping banks, fintechs and enterprises design and implement stablecoin-based payment solutions.

The new advisory unit, announced on Monday, will operate under Visa Consulting and Analytics and focus on strategy, technology, operations and real-world use cases for stablecoins. According to Visa, demand from traditional financial institutions has been accelerating rapidly.

“Helping our clients grow is frankly the reason we exist in stablecoin,” said Carl Rutstein, global head of Visa Consulting and Analytics, adding that stablecoins have become a clear area of client demand.

Why stablecoins are moving into the mainstream

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a stable value by being backed by reserves and pegged to fiat currencies, most commonly the U.S. dollar. Their appeal lies in faster settlement, lower transaction costs and improved efficiency compared with traditional payment rails.

Institutional interest surged after U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Genius Act in July, establishing a regulatory framework for issuing and managing stablecoins. Since then, major payments players including PayPal and Mastercard have significantly expanded their stablecoin capabilities.

Early clients and real-world use cases

Visa says its stablecoins advisory practice already works with dozens of clients, including Navy Federal Credit Union, VyStar Credit Union and financial institution Pathward. The advisory team helps clients assess whether stablecoins make sense for their business — and, in some cases, whether they should proceed at all.

Current use cases include:

• Cross-border payments, particularly in countries with volatile currencies
• Business-to-business settlements
• Faster treasury and liquidity management

Visa expects the number of advisory clients to grow into the hundreds as regulatory clarity improves and adoption accelerates.

Visa’s growing stablecoin footprint

The company is far from a newcomer to crypto. In 2023, Visa piloted stablecoin settlement using USDC, and today it supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked card programs across over 40 countries.

Visa estimates its annualised stablecoin settlement volume at approximately $3.5 billion, underscoring the scale at which crypto-based payments are already operating within its network.

“Stablecoins may represent an opportunity to enhance speed and lower cost in payments,” said Matt Freeman, senior vice president at Navy Federal Credit Union, noting that the institution is evaluating how the technology could benefit its 15 million members worldwide.

As regulation, infrastructure and institutional comfort continue to evolve, Visa’s latest move signals that stablecoins are no longer a fringe experiment — but an increasingly central pillar of the future payments landscape.