|

Visa Launches Pilot for Direct USDC Payouts to Power Instant Global Payments

🚨

Visa has taken one other main step into blockchain-based finance, unveiling a brand new pilot that permits direct payouts in Circle’s USDC stablecoin for creators, freelancers, and gig employees worldwide.

Key Takeaways:

  • Visa has launched a pilot program permitting direct USDC payouts for freelancers, creators, and gig employees, enabling near-instant international funds.
  • The initiative targets rising markets with restricted banking entry, providing quicker, extra secure, and clear fund transfers.
  • The program marks Visa’s newest push into blockchain finance, following $140 billion in crypto-related transactions since 2020.

The initiative goals to make cross-border funds almost on the spot whereas decreasing dependence on conventional banking infrastructure.

Announced Wednesday at the Web Summit in Lisbon, the pilot permits companies utilizing Visa Direct within the US to fund payouts in fiat forex, with recipients selecting to obtain their earnings in USDC.

Visa Targets Emerging Markets With Faster, Stablecoin-Based Payout Access

Visa stated this provides customers quicker and extra secure entry to funds, significantly in nations dealing with forex volatility or restricted banking entry.

“Launching stablecoin payouts is about enabling actually common entry to cash in minutes — not days — for anybody, anyplace on the planet,” stated Chris Newkirk, Visa’s President of Commercial & Money Movement Solutions.

Recipients should maintain a appropriate stablecoin pockets and cross know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) checks.

The pilot at present helps solely USDC and entails choose companions, with a broader rollout anticipated within the second half of 2026 as laws evolve.

The transfer builds on Visa’s September pilot that allowed companies to pre-fund payouts utilizing stablecoins.

Together, the initiatives increase Visa’s attain into stablecoin-powered cash motion, providing a quicker, clear various to legacy fee techniques. Each payout is recorded on-chain, supporting higher auditability and compliance.

Visa’s growth into digital property has accelerated in 2025. Since 2020, the corporate has processed greater than $140 billion in crypto and stablecoin transactions and lately partnered with Stripe-owned Bridge to subject stablecoin-linked Visa playing cards.

It additionally launched the Visa Tokenized Asset Platform, serving to banks pilot stablecoin issuance and settlement.

According to Visa’s 2025 Creator Economy Report, 57% of digital content material creators ranked “on the spot entry to funds” as their prime precedence in selecting digital fee strategies, a necessity that Visa says stablecoins are uniquely positioned to meet.

The pilot highlights Visa’s rising concentrate on blockchain innovation as a part of its long-term cash motion technique.

Western Union to Launch Dollar-Backed Stablecoin on Solana

Western Union can be coming into the stablecoin market with plans to launch the US Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) on the Solana blockchain within the first half of 2026.

The token, issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, will enable customers to transfer cash globally with decrease charges and quicker settlement instances, decreasing reliance on conventional banking intermediaries and risky forex conversions.

CEO Devin McGranahan described the transfer as a continuation of Western Union’s 175-year mission to simplify cash transfers, this time by way of blockchain know-how.

He stated Solana was chosen for its pace, scalability, and low-cost transactions, that are essential for the corporate’s high-volume remittance enterprise.

By leveraging blockchain rails, Western Union goals to make remittances almost instantaneous and extra clear.

The put up Visa Launches Pilot for Direct USDC Payouts to Power Instant Global Payments appeared first on Cryptonews.

Similar Posts