Visa Brings USDC Settlements to the U.S. With Solana Expansion

Visa is extending its stablecoin settlement initiative into the U.S. market, allowing domestic partners to finalize transactions using Circle’s USDC on the Solana blockchain. The move marks a significant step in bringing blockchain-based settlement closer to the core of traditional card payments.

Under the expanded program, Visa’s U.S. acquirer and issuer partners can now settle obligations in USDC, with Cross River Bank and Lead Bank serving as the first banking participants. Visa plans to widen access to more partners over the course of 2026.

The company says stablecoin settlement offers tangible operational gains, including faster fund transfers and continuous availability. By shifting from a standard five-day banking schedule to a seven-day settlement window, Visa believes banks can improve liquidity management and treasury efficiency without compromising regulatory or security requirements.

Visa’s leadership noted that interest from financial institutions has evolved beyond experimentation. According to the firm, banks are actively preparing to integrate stablecoins into their existing payment workflows, prompting Visa to formalize USDC settlement capabilities within the U.S.

The rollout builds on several years of stablecoin testing. Visa began exploring USDC settlement in 2021 and launched international pilots in 2023. As of late November, those efforts have scaled to an annualized settlement volume exceeding $3.5 billion.

The expansion also follows Visa’s recent launch of a stablecoin advisory practice designed to help banks, fintechs, and merchants assess and deploy stablecoin-based solutions. In parallel, Visa has tested USDC payouts for gig workers and extended settlement support to other blockchains, including Stellar and Avalanche.

Looking ahead, Visa is deepening its collaboration with Circle, including plans to support USDC settlement on Circle’s upcoming Arc blockchain and potentially operate a validator node on the network.

Visa shares were modestly lower following the announcement, though the stock remains up more than 9% so far this year, reflecting continued investor focus on the company’s push into blockchain-enabled payments.