Visa pilot stablecoin setllement program is now going to feature nine different blockchains, expanding the network choice for issuers and acquirers.
Visa (NYSE: V) is adding five blockchains: Arc, Base, Canton, Polygon, and Tempo, to its global stablecoin settlement pilot, bringing the total number of supported networks to nine. The expansion gives issuers and acquirers additional options for settling obligations with Visa’s network.
The pilot’s annualized stablecoin settlement run rate reached $7 billion, up 50% from the prior quarter. The five additions join four previously supported blockchains: Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Stellar.
“Our partners are building in a multi-chain world, and they expect their options to reflect that reality,” said Rubail Birwadker, Global Head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships, Visa. “Expanding our stablecoin settlement pilot program to more blockchains means our partners can choose the networks that best fit their needs, while relying on Visa to provide a common settlement layer across all of them.”
The pilot also supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked card programs across 50+ countries, and includes USDC settlement for U.S. banks. Regional pilots are active across Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and CEMEA.
Circle, whose USDC stablecoin is used within the pilot, and whose blockchain-like settlement layer Arc is now being added to the stack, also commented on the expansion:
“Arc is designed to provide the performance, predictability, and reliable access to liquidity needed to support real-time settlement at a global scale. Our work with Visa reflects growing demand for stablecoins like USDC and blockchain infrastructure that can settle today’s payment flows instantly while enabling the next era of programmable commerce and agent-driven economic activity,” said Nikhil Chandhok, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Circle.
Circle’s USDC stablecoin has grown by over 220% in the last two years, slowly but steadily increasing its market share. Having MiCA licenses in the EU and money transmission licenses in parts of the U.S., Circle is most oten chosen as a stablecoin issuer by institutions for B2B corridors, payroll settlement, treasury management, and more. It has also been a token of choice for Visa’s stablecoin settlement in the U.S.
As USDC is a multi-chain stablecoin, adding more networks to the settlement scenario helps Visa achieve an effect similar to fiat transactions’ payment orchestration and choose the most efficient rail depending on the transaction type.
“Visa’s expansion is a pivotal step in making stablecoin payments a daily reality for billions of people, enabling a faster, cheaper, and more useful financial system for everyone,” said Jesse Pollak, Founder of Base.
