Visa expands stablecoin settlement to CEMA region

Visa is expanding its stablecoin settlement solution to selected issuers and acquirers in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA) region.

The payment provider said the move will enable cross-border transactions in US dollars through blockchain technology.

The company claims the initiative will help reduce settlement costs, enhance liquidity management, and will support 365-day settlements, including weekends and holidays.

In 2023, Visa became one of the first major payments networks to settle transactions in stablecoin when it piloted enabling clients to fulfil their settlement obligations in USDC.

Visa said that to date, over $225 million in stablecoin volume has been settled through Visa across participating clients.

Visa is partnering with Yellow Card, a pan-African fintech, to explore stablecoin use cases and opportunities across markets where Yellow Card is licensed to operate to help streamline treasury operations and enhance liquidity management.

Visa said the partnership is intended to test integration opportunities with Visa Direct to further investigate and expand cross-border payment options.

Visa Direct is one of the world’s largest digital payments networks, enabling the delivery of funds across over 190 countries and territories.

“In 2025, we believe that every institution that moves money will need a stablecoin strategy,” said Godfrey Sullivan, Visa’s senior vice president and head of product and solution for CEMEA. “As more players in the payments ecosystem explore this powerful new technology, Visa stands ready to help our partners navigate the transformation, bringing the scale, trust and innovation needed to help build the next generation of global payments.”



Share Story:

Recent Stories


Banking's GenAI evolution: Beyond the hype, building the future
In the first episode of a three-part video podcast series sponsored by HCLTech, Sudip Lahiri, Executive Vice President & Head of Financial Services for Europe & UKI at HCLTech explores how financial institutions can navigate the transformative potential of Generative AI while building lasting foundations for innovation.

Beyond compliance: Transforming document management into a strategic advantage for financial institutions
In this exclusive fireside chat, John Rockliffe, Pre-Sales Manager at d.velop, discusses the findings of Adapting to a Digital-Native World: Financial Services Document Management Beyond 2025 and explores how FSIs can turn document workflows into a competitive advantage.

Sanctions evasion in an era of conflict: Optimising KYC and monitoring to tackle crime
The ongoing war in Ukraine and resulting sanctions on Russia, and the continuing geopolitical tensions have resulted in an unprecedented increase in parties added to sanctions lists.

Achieving operational resilience in the financial sector: Navigating DORA with confidence
Operational resilience has become crucial for financial institutions navigating today's digital landscape riddled with cyber risks and challenges. The EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) provides a harmonised framework to address these complexities, but there are key factors that financial institutions must ensure they consider.