Visa Introduces USDC Settlements for U.S. Banks

Visa launches USDC settlements for U.S. banks, enabling direct stablecoin transactions.

Payment company Visa announced the launch of USDC settlements in the United States. Issuing banks and acquirers can now conduct direct transactions in stablecoin through the payment system.

The first participants in the program are Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which have already begun using the Solana blockchain. A full-scale expansion of the service to other partners in the U.S. is planned by 2026.

The key innovation is the shift to daily settlements. Financial institutions will be able to move funds seven days a week, moving away from the traditional five-day schedule. This will accelerate transactions and simplify liquidity management.

Representatives from Circle noted that the integration will help banks modernize treasury operations while maintaining transparency and security.

According to the press release, the changes will not affect the card usage experience for end consumers.

Additionally, Visa has partnered in the design of a new first-layer blockchain, Arc, which is being developed by Circle. The network is currently in the public testnet stage.

The payment system plans to use Arc for settlements within its network. After the mainnet launch, Visa will deploy its own validator node.

As of November 30, the annual volume of stablecoin settlements through the Visa network exceeded $3.5 billion, according to the statement.

Earlier this month, the payment giant launched the Stablecoins Advisory Practice service to assist banks and businesses with stablecoin integration.