Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) announced a breakthrough pilot enabling businesses and platforms to send payouts directly to recipients’ stablecoin wallets. For businesses using Visa Direct, payouts may now be funded in fiat money, while recipients can choose to receive their funds in USD-backed stablecoins such as USDC, transforming the overall efficiency and accessibility of payouts.
This update expands the reach of Visa Direct by offering digital creators, freelancers, and marketplaces with a “stable store of value and faster access to funds – even in markets facing currency volatility or limited banking infrastructure.”
Chris Newkirk, President, Commercial & Money Movement Solutions, Visa, has said that launching stablecoin payouts is “about enabling universal access to money in minutes – not days – for anyone, anywhere.”
Newkirk added that whether it’s a creator building a digital presence, a business reaching global markets or a freelancer “working across borders, everyone benefits from faster, flexible money movement.”
According to research from Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Economy Report, faster access to funds is ranked as “the top reason digital content creators prefer using digital payment methods.” Fifty-seven percent (57%) cited instant access as “their leading motivation for choosing digital payment methods to get paid for content creation work.”
This pilot advances Visa’s advancements in stablecoin-powered payments.
At SIBOS in September, Visa Direct announced a pilot program enabling businesses to “pre-fund payouts using stablecoins, together, these pilots unlock access and greater financial flexibility for Visa’s clients and for consumers.”
Visa Direct Stablecoin Payout features:
- Continuous convenience: Consumers, creators and freelancers will be able to access payouts in stablecoins with near-instant speed.
- Borderless currency for the digital age: Stablecoins can unlock access for those in underbanked regions, or where USD bank accounts are not available.
- Increased transparency: Every transaction is permanently logged on the blockchain, supporting auditability, compliance, and receipt confirmation.
- Expanding access: The pilot launches with select partners, with broader rollout planned for the second half of 2026 as client demand grows and regulatory frameworks advance.