Visa has launched USDC settlement in the US, advancing its stablecoin settlement pilot program and efforts to modernise its settlement infrastructure.

US issuer and acquirer partners can now settle with Visa using Circle’s USDC, a fully reserved, dollar-backed stablecoin.

USDC settlement allows issuers to move funds faster over blockchains, access seven-day availability, and maintain operational resilience during weekends and holidays, without affecting the consumer card experience.

Initial participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which have begun settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain. Wider availability in the US is expected in 2026.

Visa is also a design partner for Arc, a new Layer 1 blockchain from Circle currently in public testnet.

Arc is intended to provide the performance and scalability needed to support Visa’s on-chain commercial activity.

Visa plans to use Arc for USDC settlement within its network and operate a validator node when the blockchain goes live.

“Financial institutions are looking for faster, programmable settlement options that integrate seamlessly with their existing treasury operations,” s

aid Rubail Birwadker, Global Head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships at Visa.

“By bringing USDC settlement to the US, Visa is delivering a reliable, bank-ready capability that improves treasury efficiency while maintaining security, compliance, and resiliency standards.”

Visa’s US stablecoin settlement framework offers seven-day settlement windows, modernized liquidity and treasury management, and interoperability between traditional payment rails and blockchain infrastructure.

The US launch builds on Visa’s global stablecoin pilots across Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and CEMEA, which reached an annualized US$3.5 billion run rate in monthly settlement volume as of November 2025.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Frolopiaton Palm and Dang Pham via Freepik