Visa taps BVNK to bring stablecoin payments to $1.7 trillion network

Visa, the global leader in digital payments, has partnered with stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK to integrate stablecoin capabilities into Visa Direct, its real-time money movement network that handles $1.7 trillion in annual volume.

The collaboration, announced on January 14, allows select business customers to pre-fund Visa Direct payouts using stablecoins instead of relying solely on fiat currencies.

Visa is also eyeing the integration for direct payouts to end recipients, with stablecoins allowing users to send money directly to their digital wallets. 

According to the announcement, the collaboration allows for greater flexibility in how and when businesses send funds and how fast recipients can access them.

It’s good news for network users when operating outside traditional banking hours, including weekends and holidays.

Areas likely to benefit massively from this move include payroll processing and cross-border remittances.

“Stablecoins are an exciting opportunity for global payments, with enormous potential to reduce friction and expand access to faster, more efficient payment options – including during weekends, holidays and when banks are closed. BVNK shares this vision, and that’s why we’re partnering with them to provide the reliable, trusted and necessary infrastructure needed to expand our Visa Direct stablecoin pilots,” Mark Nelsen, Visa global head of product, commercial & money movement solutions, said in a statement.

Visa expands crypto footprint

The announcement represents the latest milestone in Visa’s evolving engagement with stablecoins and blockchain technology. 

In recent years, Visa has progressively incorporated stablecoins into its ecosystem, starting with early pilots for stablecoin settlement as far back as 2023.

Greater traction includes the launch of USDC settlement in the United States, which allowed for settlement of stablecoin transactions over the Solana blockchain.

Visa has had pilots on further integration across Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Additionally, Visa has facilitated stablecoin-linked cards, enabling seamless spending across its vast merchant network. 

This BVNK partnership builds on an established relationship, with Visa Ventures investing in BVNK in May 2025 to signal early confidence in the firm’s enterprise-grade stablecoin platform.  

BVNK, which processes more than $30 billion in stablecoin payments annually, serves clients such as Worldpay, Deel, and Flywire.

It will offer the underlying infrastructure for these services in select markets. 

Jesse Hemson-Struthers, chief executive officer of BVNK, emphasised the transformative impact of this deal: 

“Visa and BVNK both believe in the transformational potential of stablecoin technology, not just as a payment method, but as a powerful layer of payments infrastructure. This partnership is unlocking a new layer of payment innovation where stablecoins will be embedded directly into the world’s most trusted payments network. It will give businesses and end consumers more choice in how and when they receive and send their funds.”

Visa and BVNK plan to roll out initial support in regions with high demand for digital asset payments, with plans for broader global expansion.

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