Key takeaways:
- Visa is building a full stablecoin ecosystem: from blockchain infrastructure, through issuance and wallets, to applications and settlements; key projects include OpenUSD, tokenized deposits and our own platform integrating the fiat and on-chain worlds.
- The company sees stablecoins as a payment backend and artificial intelligence as a utility layer, developing the concept of agentic commerce that can significantly increase the scale of the market.
- Visa’s revenues are growing 14% y/y, and the growth in payment volumes, cross-border transactions and operations shows that the company has solid foundations for expansion in the area of digital assets.
Visa sees the potential of stablecoins
First, let’s look at the company’s performance. In its fiscal third quarter, Visa reported revenue of $11.6 billion, up 14% year-over-year. This result was driven primarily by dynamically growing volumes of payments, cross-border transactions and the number of processed operations.
One of the key steps was joining the OpenStandard consortium, which plans to issue the OpenUSD stablecoin intended for global value transfers. Visa is also developing its own stablecoin platform, which is intended to enable settlement partners based on digital assets, offer on-chain wallet-as-a-service infrastructure, and support seamless transitions between fiat currencies and stablecoins – initially using OpenUSD. This solution will be integrated with the Pismo platform, which will allow financial institutions to use tokenized deposits. There are also plans to expand cooperation with external infrastructure providers in this area.
Visa also draws attention to the growing role of artificial intelligence, treating it as a complementary technology to stablecoins. According to the company, while stablecoins are changing the backend of payment systems, AI is responsible for transforming the utility layer. In this context, the company sees great potential in the so-called agentic commerce (a purchasing model in which autonomous AI systems play a key role), which is expected to increase the scale of operations and become one of the engines of future growth.
Operational data confirm the good condition of the business. Cross-border transaction volume increased by 13% year-on-year (or 12% excluding Europe), while the number of transactions processed increased by 10%.
Stablecoins and their phenomenon
The stablecoin phenomenon results primarily from the combination of the stability of traditional currencies with the speed and global reach of blockchain technology. Users receive a tool that allows them to transfer value almost instantly, without intermediaries and banking restrictions, and at the same time avoid the high volatility typical of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin or ether. Stablecoins have therefore become a practical bridge between the worlds of traditional and digital finance – they are used in international trade, DeFi, and as a safe haven in periods of market uncertainty, which is driving their growing adoption among both individual users and institutions.
