Visa brings Circle's USDC settlement to U.S. banks following $3.5 billion stablecoin pilot

• U.S. banks and fintechs can now settle Visa obligations in Circle's USDC, starting on the Solana blockchain.
• Early participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, with broader rollout planned through 2026.
• Visa will also support Circle’s Arc blockchain and run a validator, extending its stablecoin infrastructure bet.

Credit card giant Visa (V) is launching USDC settlement in the United States, letting issuer and acquirer partners settle obligations to the card network in Circle’s dollar-pegged stablecoin.

The move marks the U.S. phase of a stablecoin settlement program that has reached a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of Nov. 30, according to a Visa press release on Tuesday..

The new option is meant to give banks and fintechs near-instant funds movement, seven-day-a-week settlement and more predictable liquidity around weekends and holidays, while keeping the consumer card experience unchanged.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to assets like fiat currencies or gold. They underpin much of the crypto economy, serving as payment rails and a tool for moving money across borders. Tether's USDT is the largest stablecon, followed by Circle's USDC.

Initial participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which are settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain.

“Visa is expanding stablecoin settlement because our banking partners are not only asking for it – they’re preparing to use it,” said Rubail Birwadker, Visa’s global head of growth products and strategic partnerships, in the release.

The company said it expects to extend access to more U.S. partners through 2026 and is encouraging interested clients to work through their account teams as availability expands.

The network is also deepening its ties with Circle by serving as a lead design partner for Circle’s Arc blockchain and plans to support Arc for USDC settlement, including operating a validator node once the chain goes live.

Visa first experimented with USDC settlement in 2021 and became one of the first major payment networks to settle transactions in a stablecoin in 2023. Since then, it has added support for more blockchains and stablecoins in its pilot program to give partners flexibility in how they settle VisaNet obligations.

The new U.S. rollout is aimed at financial institutions, fintechs and treasury teams looking to modernize settlement flows, tighten liquidity management and build programmable money-movement products that bridge legacy banking systems with blockchain-based infrastructure.

Read more: Stablecoin Adoption Is ‘Exploding' — Here's Why Wall Street Is Going All-In

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