Visa enables USDC settlement for U.S. banks via Solana

Visa on Tuesday opened settlement in Circle’s USDC for U.S. issuers and acquirers on the Solana blockchain. Cross River Bank and Lead Bank have begun using the option, with broader availability planned across the country through 2026.

The capability lets participating banks and fintechs settle transactions with Visa in a dollar-pegged stablecoin. Service runs seven days a week. Visa describes shorter settlement cycles and more predictable liquidity management, while the cardholder experience remains unchanged. The company reports more than $3.5 billion in annualized global stablecoin settlement volume.

Visa positions the USDC option as an addition to existing treasury systems, not a replacement. The firm points to demand for continuous settlement windows and programmable workflows that fit within current risk and compliance controls.

“Financial institutions are looking for faster, programmable settlement options that integrate seamlessly with their existing treasury operations. By bringing USDC settlement to the U.S., Visa is delivering a reliable, bank‑ready capability that improves treasury efficiency while maintaining the security, compliance and resiliency standards our network requires,” stated Rubail Birwadker, global head of growth products and strategic partnerships at Visa.

“Bringing USDC settlement to the U.S. with Visa is a milestone for internet native money moving at the speed of software,” noted Nikhil Chandhok, chief product and technology officer at Circle. “It helps card-issuing financial institutions modernize treasury and unlock new services while retaining the transparency and trust that USDC is known for.”

Visa is working with Circle as a design participant for Arc, a layer-1 blockchain under development for large-scale institutional activity. The company frames these efforts as part of an update to its settlement infrastructure while maintaining standards for security, compliance and resilience.

As we covered previously, Visa launched a U.S. pilot for Visa Direct that lets businesses fund payouts in dollars while recipients choose to receive USDC. The pilot aims to shorten settlement times for international earnings and provide an option in markets with unstable currencies or limited banking.