Stablecoins are quietly moving from the edges of crypto into the heart of global finance. What once looked like a niche tool for traders is now being embraced by some of the most trusted brands in payments and digital finance. Two recent developments clearly show this shift. Visa is expanding stablecoin settlement across its global network, while Coinbase is enabling businesses to launch their own branded digital dollars. Together, these moves point to a growing pattern. Established brands have moved from testing stablecoins to building with them.
Visa Brings Stablecoins into Core Payment Settlement
Visa has taken a major step by allowing select US institutional partners to settle obligations using USDC. Instead of relying only on traditional bank rails, participating issuers and acquirers can now receive settlement directly in stablecoins, delivered over supported public blockchains.
This is a meaningful change. Settlement is the backbone of payment networks, and by integrating USDC into this process, Visa is signaling confidence in stablecoins as reliable financial tools. The company is not positioning stablecoins as an alternative system, but as a complement that improves speed, transparency, and cross-border efficiency.
Visa has confirmed that it is currently onboarding select US partners, with broader access expected through 2026. Beyond the United States, the company already runs stablecoin settlement pilots across several regions, including Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Also, Visa sees stablecoins as a way to modernize payments without disrupting its core network. By combining blockchain settlement with its global reach and trust, Visa is bridging traditional finance and digital assets in a practical, scalable way.
Read also: Circle’s and Tether’s Holdings of U.S Treasuries: Stablecoins moving the cheese?
Coinbase Opens the Door to Branded Stablecoins
While Visa focuses on settlement, Coinbase is expanding stablecoins into branding, payments, and customer engagement. The exchange has launched a custom stablecoin product that allows businesses to issue their own branded digital dollars using Coinbase infrastructure.
Under this model, partners design the stablecoin, but Coinbase handles the heavy lifting. This includes compliance, reserve management, issuance, redemption, and onchain settlement. These branded stablecoins are built on Coinbase’s USDC infrastructure, meaning they are fully backed by fiat reserves and issued under the same regulatory and compliance framework as USDC.
What makes this Coinbase approach powerful is flexibility. Partners can decide how their stablecoin is used, where it can be spent, and how it integrates with apps, loyalty programs, or existing payment flows. Coinbase manages wallet compatibility, transparency, and transfers, so businesses do not need to get involved in the complexities often associated with building crypto systems from scratch.
This marks a shift from single issuer stablecoins toward a network of branded tokens that share similar reserve structures and technical standards. Essentially, Coinbase is positioning itself as the stablecoin backbone for fintechs, retailers, and platforms that want digital dollar functionality without the operational risk.
Stablecoins are Becoming Financial Infrastructure
When companies like Visa and Coinbase move in the same direction, it usually signals a deeper market change. Stablecoins are evolving from speculative tools into programmable money that can power real world payments, rewards, and settlements.
For businesses, this opens new opportunities. Branded stablecoins can be used for instant refunds, cross-border payouts, loyalty rewards, and closed loop payments, all while remaining compatible with public blockchains and external wallets. For users, the experience may feel like a mix of store credit and cash, spending like a dollar but settling on modern digital rails.
At the same time, these developments raise important questions. Trust will depend on clear redemption rules, strong reserve management, and smooth movement between different stablecoins without friction or loss of value. Regulation will also play a key role in shaping how far and how fast these models can scale.
The product launches by Visa and Coinbase show that stablecoins are no longer just a crypto narrative but are becoming part of core financial infrastructure. One company is integrating them into global settlement. The other is turning them into customizable products for brands and platforms. They are building the next phase of digital finance with stablecoins at the center.
Read more: How Stablecoins Empower the Unbanked and Underbanked
Victor Solomon is a crypto analyst at Crypto Asset Buyer (CAB). Over the years, Victor has gained valuable expertise in market analysis, risk management, and community management within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The founder of Soluvic Crypto Hub, a crypto community where he equips newbies in the space, Victor’s mission is to empower individuals to uncover opportunities and safely navigate risks in the blockchain industry. Victor’s academic foundation includes a BSc. (Ed) in Mathematics, a credential that underpins his strong analytical and problem-solving abilities. Currently, he is expanding his technical expertise as a Software Development student at Brigham Young University. He is an Ex African Manager of Newscrypto.
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