Visa has expanded its stablecoin settlement pilot to include Arc, Base, Canton, Polygon and Tempo, bringing the program to nine supported blockchains. The announcement marks a broader push to make Visa a multi-chain settlement layer for partners building stablecoin-linked payment products.
The pilot now has an annualized settlement run rate of $7 billion, up 50% quarter-over-quarter, according to Visa. The program also supports 130 stablecoin-linked card programs across Latin America, Europe, APAC and CEMEA, pointing to rising institutional use of stablecoins for payment settlement.
Visa Adds More Network Choice for Partners
The newly added networks join Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana and Stellar, expanding the pilot across both public and institutionally focused blockchain environments. Visa framed the move as a response to partner demand for flexibility in a multi-chain market.
“Our partners are building in a multi-chain world and they expect their options to reflect that reality,” said Rubail Birwadker, Visa’s Global Head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships.
The expansion gives corporates and payment providers more options when routing settlement flows. Partners can weigh speed, cost, liquidity and compliance needs across different networks, rather than relying on a single chain for stablecoin settlement.
Stablecoin Settlement Moves Closer to Institutional Cash Management
Partner statements emphasized different roles for the added chains. Circle highlighted Arc’s performance and predictability for real-time global settlement, while Digital Asset positioned Canton as a compliant bridge for regulated institutions. Base, Polygon Labs and Tempo executives described their integrations as steps toward making stablecoin payments more practical at scale.
Visa’s role is also evolving beyond settlement access alone. Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s Head of Crypto, said the company is participating in blockchain infrastructure work, including transaction ordering and network security on platforms such as Tempo.
The immediate benefit is broader routing flexibility. Firms can choose faster, lower-cost networks for certain flows or compliance-oriented infrastructure where regulatory requirements are more central.
The next test is adoption. Continued quarter-over-quarter growth, partner usage and settlement reliability will determine whether stablecoins become a routine component of institutional cash management rather than a specialized payment experiment.