Visa has opened stablecoin settlement to U.S. banks, enabling issuer and acquirer partners to settle transactions in Circle’s USDC on the Solana blockchain. By reporting an annualized settlement run rate above $3.5 billion as of 30 November 2025, Visa is signaling that USDC settlement on Solana is already material for liquidity management and operational design at participating banks.
How Visa’s USDC settlement rail changes bank operations
Visa’s framework allows U.S. issuer and acquirer partners to settle in Circle’s dollar-pegged USDC on Solana, a network chosen for its high throughput and low transaction cost. Participating institutions now receive seven-day settlement windows instead of the traditional five-business-day cycle, enabling continuous settlement across weekends and holidays and narrowing multi-day funding gaps.
The move expands Visa’s broader stablecoin strategy by targeting faster, continuous settlement and leveraging Solana’s performance to reduce delays in clearing. Visa explicitly links Solana’s high throughput and low transaction cost to reduced settlement latency and funding gaps, positioning the network as infrastructure for near-continuous settlement.
A stablecoin is a digital token pegged to a fiat currency and designed to reduce price volatility relative to other cryptocurrencies. In Visa’s design, USDC functions as a settlement medium that requires clear rules for issuance, redemption and reserve backing, while still fitting into banks’ existing treasury and reconciliation processes.
Visa first piloted stablecoin settlement in 2023 and has expanded related product work since then, including pilots under Visa Direct that let qualified businesses pre-fund cross-border payments with stablecoins. The company also reports more than 130 stablecoin-linked card issuing programs in over 40 countries, indicating that stablecoins are becoming a structural element of its digital-asset capabilities.
To support clients, Visa has launched a Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice for banks, fintechs and merchants. This advisory unit offers market analysis and implementation support, positioning Visa as both an infrastructure provider and a consultant for digital-asset integration.
The company is pursuing a multi-blockchain approach that goes beyond Solana. While the U.S. settlement effort runs on Solana, Visa’s wider strategy also encompasses Ethereum, Stellar and Avalanche and includes support for other stablecoins such as EURC, PYUSD and USDG.
Visa frames the USDC settlement program as both payments-layer modernization and a commercial opportunity. The seven-day window and Solana integration are presented as operational upgrades that lower latency and transactional cost for settlements that traditionally required multiple business days to complete.
The rollout places renewed emphasis on the U.S. regulatory framework for stablecoins, including reserve requirements, consumer protection, KYC/AML controls and supervisory scope for bank participation. Visa’s advisory practice is positioned as a tool to help clients navigate these regulatory questions as stablecoin settlement volumes grow.
Market participants face both competitive and collaborative consequences as this rail matures. Incumbent banks must accelerate digital-asset strategies and adapt liquidity management, custody arrangements and reconciliation processes for tokenized funds, while fintechs and nonbank providers may gain new partnership pathways through Visa’s stablecoin infrastructure.
Visa’s USDC settlement rollout converts pilot momentum into a commercial offering aimed at faster, continuous settlement and broader institutional adoption. The announced annualized settlement run rate above $3.5 billion as of 30 November 2025 sets a baseline for how quickly banks scale participation and how regulators respond with rules for stablecoin issuance, reserves and bank involvement.