Visa Expands Stablecoin Support With Polygon and Base
BITmarkets Team
Apr 30, 2026
Originally launched in 2023, the program allows partners to settle transactions using stablecoins instead of traditional banking systems. The newly added networks include Polygon, Base, the Canton Network, Arc, and Tempo. These join previously supported chains such as Ethereum, Solana, Stellar, and Avalanche.
The expansion follows growth in the program, which has reached an annualized settlement run rate of about $7 billion, increasing roughly 50% quarter over quarter, according to Visa. However, this volume remains relatively small compared to the company’s broader payments operations.
Growing focus on stablecoin infrastructure
Visa said the initiative is aimed at assessing whether stablecoins can provide faster settlement, continuous availability, and improved efficiency in cross-border transactions. Visa has continued to deepen its involvement in stablecoin-based payments. In March, the company expanded its collaboration with Bridge, a subsidiary of Stripe, to support a global card program enabling stablecoin-linked transactions.
Competition and regulatory momentum
Interest in stablecoin settlement is increasing across the payments sector. Competitors such as Mastercard have also stepped up efforts, including enabling stablecoin-linked card payments in the United States through integrations with wallets like MetaMask. Meanwhile, fintech firm Modern Treasury recently integrated with Polygon to help businesses process stablecoin payments more quickly, following its acquisition of the payments platform Beam in October.
Regulatory developments are also shaping the space. In the US, the passage of the GENIUS Act has introduced clearer guidelines for payment stablecoins. As regulatory clarity improves, both crypto-native firms and traditional financial companies are increasingly competing to build the infrastructure supporting stablecoin payments, particularly the settlement layer between institutions. At the same time, broader policy questions—such as whether stablecoins should offer yield—remain under discussion in a proposed market structure bill that has yet to advance.
The total value of stablecoins in circulation has now surpassed $320 billion, rising by nearly 150% since early 2024, according to data from DefiLlama.
Sources:
https://www.bvp.com/atlas/stablecoins-from-defi-primitive-to-global-financial-infrastructure
https://cointelegraph.com/news/visa-stablecoin-settlement-polygon-base-7b-run-rate
https://usa.visa.com/about-visa/newsroom/press-releases.releaseId.22336.html