Key Highlights
- Visa has partnered with Brale to evaluate stablecoin-based institutional settlement solutions.
- The pilot will use Brale’s U.S. dollar-backed SBC stablecoin on the Canton Network.
- The initiative focuses on combining blockchain programmability with enhanced privacy controls.
Visa, a global payments technology, today announced a collaboration with Brale, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin-as-a-service platform, to explore the use of stablecoins for institutional payment settlements.
According to the official announcement, the partnership centers on testing SBC, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin issued by Brale, on the Canton Network through a proof-of-concept (POC) initiative.
Visa explores an additional settlement option
Through the partnership, Visa plans to evaluate SBC as an additional settlement option for institutional use cases. The stablecoin is natively supported on the Canton Network, which is expected to simplify technical integration for the testing phase.
“Stablecoin settlement has shown how blockchain infrastructure can improve the speed and efficiency of money movement,” said Cuy Sheffield, Head of Crypto at Visa.
He added, “Through our work with Brale, we’re exploring how SBC on the Canton Network can support institutional settlement use cases that require both programmability and privacy controls. This collaboration helps us evaluate what it takes to bring these capabilities into production environments.”
Focus on privacy considerations
Ben Milne, founder and CEO of Brale, stated, “Financial institutions are increasingly looking for stablecoin infrastructure that meets their operational, regulatory, and privacy requirements. Working with Visa to explore SBC on Canton is an important step toward making stablecoin-based settlement more practical and scalable for real-world payment flows.”
According to the announcement, Visa has been involved in stablecoin settlement efforts since 2021, gradually expanding its capabilities to allow certain obligations on VisaNet to be settled using supported stablecoins. This latest initiative builds on that foundation by focusing specifically on privacy considerations.
Gold-backed Visa card allows tokenized gold payment exposure
In a separate development yesterday, Visa partnered with Tether and digital investment platform Fasset to launch a gold-backed Visa card that allows users to spend tokenized gold in everyday transactions worldwide. The card, which operates on Visa’s global network, enables seamless conversion of Tether Gold (XAU₮) into USD₮ and local currency at the point of sale.
Users can earn up to 6% cashback in XAU₮ on eligible purchases and automatically round up transactions to invest spare change into tokenized gold. The initiative aims to bridge digital assets with real-world payments, particularly in markets seeking stable and accessible financial tools.
The launch comes as the tokenized gold market exceeds $5.3 billion, with Tether Gold (XAU₮) accounting for over $2.6 billion in market value.
Potential commercial rollout timeline yet to be disclosed
This proof-of-concept comes at a time when financial institutions are actively testing various blockchain solutions for settlement efficiency. However, challenges remain around scalability, regulatory clarity, and interoperability between different networks.
Visa has described stablecoins as a potential next-generation settlement layer for global payments, though the company continues to approach adoption cautiously through controlled testing and partnerships.
The collaboration between Visa and Brale is currently in the exploratory stage. Outcomes from the POC will likely influence whether the solution advances toward broader implementation. No specific timeline for results or potential commercial rollout has been disclosed.
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