Visa merges VisaNet settlement data with blockchain lending for stablecoin cards
In brief
- Visa combines VisaNet settlement data with blockchain-based lending infrastructure for stablecoin financing
- Stablecoin payment volume on Visa network surged nearly 200% year over year
- Visa stablecoin settlement volume exceeded $20 billion annualized run rate, up 15x from prior year
Settlement data meets onchain lending
The initiative pairs Visa settlement records with onchain transaction data to help lenders evaluate creditworthiness and finance settlement obligations. Credit Coop, a blockchain-based lending protocol, has already financed more than $2.5 billion in cumulative settlement volume since 2023 across participating facilities.
The combination of traditional payment rails with blockchain lending infrastructure creates a new layer for stablecoin-denominated commerce. Lenders can now cross-reference settlement patterns on VisaNet against onchain behavior to make faster lending decisions. This is particularly useful for card issuers and merchants who need liquidity between settlement cycles.
Stablecoin volume accelerates
Visa's stablecoin settlement volume has surpassed a $20 billion annualized run rate, more than 15 times year-ago levels. The network now hosts more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs, reflecting growing adoption among issuers and payment processors.
The scale is striking. Adjusted stablecoin transaction volume reached a record $1.79 trillion in June across all platforms. Visa's slice of that market—powered by programs that tokenize fiat and crypto—is growing faster than traditional card volume in many regions.
Broader ecosystem play
Visa also joined the OpenStandard consortium, which plans to issue the OpenUSD stablecoin. This positions Visa alongside Stripe and other infrastructure providers betting on stablecoin-based settlement becoming mainstream. The moves suggest Visa sees stablecoin infrastructure not as a threat to VisaNet but as a complementary layer that can drive new use cases and lending products.
The convergence of Visa's settlement data with blockchain lending marks a shift in how payments infrastructure and decentralized finance interact. Rather than competing, the two systems are beginning to feed each other—traditional payment volume informing credit decisions onchain, and onchain data enriching traditional settlement workflows.
