Quick Take
Visa has introduced a new stablecoins advisory practice to help banks, fintechs, merchants, and enterprises design and implement stablecoin strategies. The move comes as Visa reports a $3.5 billion annualized run rate in stablecoin settlement volume and as global stablecoin adoption continues to accelerate.
A New Advisory Push Into Stablecoins
Global payments leader Visa is expanding its stablecoin strategy with the launch of a dedicated “stablecoins advisory practice.” The initiative sits within Visa Consulting & Analytics and is designed to guide financial institutions and businesses through the rapidly evolving stablecoin market.
The advisory service will support organizations evaluating how stablecoins can be integrated into payments, treasury operations, cross-border transfers, and digital financial products. According to Visa, the practice will provide training, market analysis, strategy development, use-case sizing, and technical implementation support.
Stablecoin Market Growth Drives Demand
Visa’s move comes as the stablecoin market surpasses $300 billion in total market capitalization, highlighting growing demand from both consumers and institutions. At the same time, Visa disclosed that its own stablecoin settlement activity has reached a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of November 30.
Carl Rutstein, global head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, emphasized the importance of long-term planning in the space, noting that a comprehensive stablecoins strategy is becoming essential for staying competitive in today’s digital payments landscape.
Early Clients and Real-World Use Cases
Several financial institutions are already working with Visa’s new advisory practice. Early clients include Navy Federal Credit Union, Pathward, and VyStar Credit Union.
Navy Federal, which serves nearly 15 million members worldwide, is exploring how stablecoins could support its broader payments strategy. Pathward described the engagement as delivering actionable insights and clear recommendations, highlighting growing interest among banks in stablecoin-based financial infrastructure.
Building on Visa’s Existing Stablecoin Infrastructure
The new advisory offering builds on Visa’s expanding stablecoin ecosystem. In 2023, Visa piloted stablecoin settlement using Circle’s USDC and now supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked card programs across over 40 countries.
Visa is also testing stablecoin-powered cross-border payouts through Visa Direct. This solution allows qualified businesses to pre-fund transfers and send funds directly to users’ stablecoin wallets, reducing settlement times and costs.
Why Stablecoins Are Gaining Momentum
Often described as crypto’s first “killer app,” stablecoins have seen rapid adoption over the past year. Consumers and institutions increasingly rely on them for payments, trading, remittances, and treasury management due to their price stability and blockchain-based efficiency.
Traditional financial institutions are moving quickly as well. Banks such as JPMorgan are experimenting with tokenized deposits for faster intraday and cross-border settlements, while payment companies like Visa and Stripe are integrating stablecoins to enable cheaper and faster money movement.
Regulatory Clarity Accelerates Adoption
Regulatory developments are also fueling growth. The GENIUS Act, signed into law in July, established a federal framework for issuing and overseeing stablecoins in the United States. This added clarity has given banks and fintech firms more confidence to expand stablecoin use cases within regulated environments.
Long-Term Outlook for Stablecoins
Analysts see significant upside for the stablecoin market. Citi projects stablecoin supply could reach $1.9 trillion by 2030 in a base scenario, with a potential upside of $4 trillion under more optimistic assumptions. Standard Chartered forecasts the market could grow to $2 trillion by 2028.
With its new stablecoins advisory practice, Visa is positioning itself at the center of this growth, helping banks and businesses navigate stablecoin adoption, digital payments innovation, and the future of money movement.
