Visa Brings Stablecoin Payouts to Gig Workers and Creators in Global Pilot

Visa has taken another major leap into blockchain finance. The payments giant unveiled a pilot that lets businesses send direct payouts in Circle’s $USDC stablecoin to creators, freelancers, and gig workers around the world. The move, announced at the Web Summit in Lisbon, aims to make cross-border payments nearly instantaneous and less dependent on traditional banking systems.

The pilot operates through Visa Direct, the company’s real-time payment network. U.S. businesses can fund payouts in fiat currency, while recipients can choose to receive their earnings in USDC, a dollar-backed stablecoin. By connecting traditional rails with blockchain, Visa says the project enables “universal access to money in minutes – not days.”

Redefining Global Payouts with Stablecoins

Visa’s pilot introduces a significant upgrade to how global earnings are distributed. Instead of waiting days for bank settlements, recipients can receive funds in real time. The goal is to address long-standing pain points for gig workers and small businesses, especially those facing limited access to banking or volatile local currencies.

“Launching stablecoin payouts is about enabling truly universal access to money in minutes – not days – for anyone, anywhere in the world,” said Chris Newkirk, Visa’s President of Commercial & Money Movement Solutions.

Each transaction will be recorded on-chain, ensuring full transparency and compliance. Participants must hold a compatible wallet and complete identity verification, including KYC and AML checks. At present, the system supports only USDC, with a broader rollout planned for the second half of 2026 as regulations mature.

Businesses participating in the pilot continue funding payouts in traditional fiat. Visa then converts those funds into USDC and sends them directly to a recipient’s digital wallet. From there, workers can decide whether to keep their earnings in stablecoin, spend them, or convert them to local currency. Visa emphasized that it will not manage or store the users’ crypto directly but will serve as the bridge connecting financial networks with blockchain infrastructure.

This hybrid model could significantly benefit underbanked regions such as Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey, where access to dollar-based accounts remains limited. Visa estimates that more than one billion people worldwide lack a bank account but could still receive money via stablecoins, benefiting from faster transfers and stable-value holdings.

According to Visa’s 2025 Creator Economy Report, 57% of digital content creators consider “instant access to funds” their top priority when choosing a payment platform. For many in the creator economy, the difference between getting paid in minutes versus days can mean greater financial flexibility and stability.

Mark Nelsen, Head of Product for Visa’s Commercial and Money Movement Solutions division, said the project directly addresses those needs. “Content creators, artists, and musicians lose a significant portion of their earnings due to intermediaries,” he said. “Web3 and blockchain-based payment platforms can change this scenario – and that’s where the future is headed.”

The pilot follows Visa’s earlier September 2025 initiative that let businesses pre-fund Visa Direct operations using stablecoins. While that project focused on treasury management, this new pilot centers on end users, connecting them directly to digital dollar payouts.

A Broader Push into Blockchain Finance

Visa’s stablecoin pilot represents a continuation of its expanding presence in the digital asset economy. Since 2020, Visa has processed more than $140 billion in crypto and stablecoin transactions. It recently partnered with Stripe-owned Bridge to issue stablecoin-linked Visa cards and introduced the Visa Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP), enabling banks to test stablecoin issuance and settlement.

VTAP is described as a platform for financial institutions to “tokenize fiat currencies on blockchain networks.” It includes tools like APIs, programmable smart contracts, and multi-chain interoperability features. Visa says this infrastructure is critical for scaling blockchain payments across the banking ecosystem.

“WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING WE SUPPORT IS REGULATED,” noted Tim Moncrieff, Visa’s Global Head of Strategic Initiatives. He explained that Visa’s approach focuses on compliance, ensuring that any blockchain-related service adheres to strict regulatory frameworks.

That regulatory clarity, especially under the U.S. Genius Act, has been a catalyst for Visa’s progress. The new law sets federal standards for stablecoin issuers, defining oversight, capital requirements, and anti-money laundering practices. As Mark Nelsen said, “The U.S. ‘Genius Act’ provided the regulatory clarity needed to legitimize stablecoin use. The law establishes federal oversight and capital standards for stablecoin issuers, offering the legal certainty large financial institutions had been waiting for.”

Visa’s stablecoin expansion also coincides with other financial institutions stepping into blockchain-based payments. Western Union, for instance, is preparing to launch its U.S. Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) on the Solana blockchain in early 2026. The token, issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, will aim to reduce remittance costs and improve settlement speed.

Western Union CEO, Devin McGranahan, said the project continues the company’s long-standing mission of simplifying money transfers. “Solana was chosen for its speed, scalability, and low-cost transactions, which are crucial for the company’s high-volume remittance business,” he explained. Using blockchain, Western Union hopes to make remittances “nearly instantaneous and more transparent.”

Visa’s head of crypto initiatives, speaking at the Web Summit, described the company’s stablecoin pilot as “a milestone in the evolution of digital payments, where global commerce meets programmable money.”

The pilot also showcases how Visa’s infrastructure can connect seamlessly with emerging blockchain tools. The company said roughly 60% of the code behind its new stablecoin infrastructure was developed by artificial intelligence agents. This integration of blockchain and AI underscores Visa’s broader vision for the future of payments, one that blends automation, transparency, and speed.

A Global Race Toward Stablecoin Adoption

Visa’s move arrives amid a global surge in stablecoin initiatives from both private companies and regulators. Stablecoins have become central to the conversation about the future of money, offering dollar stability with blockchain’s agility.

In Asia, Coinbase has launched Coinbase Business in Singapore, its first international rollout of a crypto operating platform. The move enables startups and small businesses to access instant USDC payments, cross-border transfers, and integrated accounting tools. Backed by a partnership with Standard Chartered Bank, the service allows real-time Singapore dollar transactions under the country’s strict regulatory framework.

Coinbase said the launch builds on its collaboration with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the BLOOM initiative, which promotes compliant digital payments. “We’re empowering Singaporean businesses with faster, cheaper, and programmable financial tools for the next era of global trade,” the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Circle, the issuer of USDC, continues to report strong financial performance. In its Q3 2025 report, Circle announced that USDC circulation had reached $73.7 billion, marking a 108% year-over-year increase. The firm also launched Arc, a public testnet designed to streamline on-chain financial workflows and attract institutional adoption. More than 100 companies have already expressed interest in integrating Arc for digital asset operations.

Circle’s growth highlights the growing demand for stablecoins, particularly in emerging markets where digital dollars offer protection against inflation and currency devaluation. According to CoinMarketCap, USDC maintains a stable value of $1.00 with a market capitalization near $76 billion, accounting for around 2.16% of the global crypto market.

In Europe, the Bank of England (BOE) is preparing to release its long-anticipated framework for stablecoin regulation. Deputy Governor, Sarah Breeden, told Bloomberg that the UK’s regulatory regime will become operational “just as quickly as the US,” signaling a coordinated global push for oversight.

As regulatory clarity expands, stablecoins are evolving from experimental financial instruments to core components of global commerce. Visa’s latest pilot, alongside Western Union’s and Coinbase’s parallel projects, reflects this transformation. These developments suggest that stablecoins are no longer just part of the crypto economy; they are becoming integral to the way money moves across borders.

For Visa, the pilot is just one piece of a broader puzzle, building a digital payment infrastructure that connects the world’s financial systems with the blockchain. As Chris Newkirk emphasized in Lisbon, “Launching stablecoin payments means enabling truly universal access to money in minutes – not days – for anyone, anywhere in the world.”