Visa launches a stablecoin payment pilot, supporting creators and freelancers to receive payments directly in USDC.

According to Mars Finance, global payment giant Visa has officially announced the launch of a stablecoin payment pilot program, allowing creators, freelancers, and businesses to receive payments directly in USDC issued by Circle via Visa Direct, achieving cross-border instant settlement. Visa stated that during the pilot phase, businesses can initiate payments in fiat funds in the United States, while the recipients can choose to receive USDC directly, with funds arriving in almost a few minutes, which will bring convenience to users in areas with currency fluctuations or limited bank access. Chris Newkirk, President of Visa's Business and Cash Flow Solutions, said: “The launch of stablecoin payments means truly achieving 'funds arriving in minutes', allowing users around the world to quickly and safely receive income.” It is reported that this pilot is a further expansion of Visa's stablecoin program. In September this year, Visa launched a “stablecoin pre-charge” pilot, allowing businesses to use stablecoins to fund Visa Direct accounts, while this time it is the first to support end-users receiving payments directly in stablecoins. Recipients must have a stablecoin wallet that meets Visa standards and go through KYC/AML verification. Visa stated that it plans to promote this to more partners in the second half of 2026, currently only supporting USDC. Since 2020, Visa has facilitated over $140 billion in cryptocurrency and stablecoin transactions and launched more than 130 stablecoin-linked card projects in 40 countries.