Visa is accelerating its push into blockchain-based payments, announcing the addition of five new blockchains to its global stablecoin settlement pilot. The expansion arrives as digital asset adoption transitions from experimental pilot programs into core treasury operations for financial institutions.
According to the company’s announcement, its stablecoin settlement program has surged to an annualized run rate of $7 billion, marking a 50% increase since the previous quarter. This momentum underscores a growing confidence among traditional fintechs and payment providers that blockchain infrastructure can reliably complement legacy settlement rails.
The five new blockchains
Visa is expanding its multi-chain capabilities by adding support for:
- Arc: A purpose-built Layer-1 by Circle focused on programmable money and real-world financial use cases.
- Base: Coinbase’s high-performance Layer-2, designed for low-cost, fast stablecoin settlements.
- Canton: A privacy-focused blockchain built for regulated financial markets and institutional compliance.
- Polygon: A leading infrastructure provider known for its scalable, low-cost payments infrastructure.
- Tempo: A network backed by Stripe and Paradigm, focused on efficient and private stablecoin liquidity and settlement.
These networks join Visa’s existing integrations with Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Stellar, bringing the total supported blockchain count to nine.
Bridging TradFi and the multi-chain world
Visa said the expansion reflects a broader industry shift toward a multi-chain ecosystem, where liquidity and activity are spread across multiple blockchain networks.
“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 at 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.”
This expansion also builds on years of testing and live deployments across regions, including Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and CEMEA. The company has also expanded support for USDC settlement to U.S. banks and enabled more than 130+ stablecoin-linked card programs across over 50 countries.
Industry leaders back expansion
The integration has garnered strong support from its leading partner networks, who view Visa’s infrastructure as a crucial step for broader blockchain integration.
Nikhil Chandhok, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Circle, stated, “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.”
Jesse Pollak, Founder of Base, called the expansion “a pivotal step” toward making stablecoin payments part of everyday financial activity.
Eric Saraniecki of Digital Asset, a co-founder of the Canton Network, highlighted the importance of compliance-focused blockchain infrastructure for institutions. “Visa’s stablecoin settlement platform provides a bridge that lets regulated institutions explore on-chain settlement while staying aligned with their compliance requirements,” he noted.
With a $7 billion run rate and expanding blockchain support, Visa’s latest move highlights that stablecoin-based settlement is emerging as a serious alternative to traditional payment rails—marking a key step toward the integration of digital assets into mainstream finance.
Also Read: Meta Introduces Stablecoin Payments for Creators in Pilot Markets
