The new pre-funding pilot will allow businesses to use stablecoins instead of fiat to cover payouts.
Visa (V) announced on Tuesday that it will launch a stablecoin pre-funding pilot through Visa Direct, allowing businesses to use stablecoins instead of fiat to cover payouts.
Visa stated it treats those stablecoins as “money in the bank,” making funds available for payout. This means that Visa treats stablecoins as cash equivalents for settlement and payouts, which helps reduce the need for capital lockups in multiple local currencies. The new initiative is primarily aimed at banks, remitters, and financial institutions that need faster, more flexible ways to manage liquidity across borders.
Visa said it is working with select partners that meet the pilot criteria and plans to expand the pilot in 2026. Visa’s stock was up as much as 1.4% in pre-market trade. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around the financial giant remained in ‘bullish’ territory over the past day. Visa said its stablecoin strategy is a part of its broader effort to modernize the backend settlement and money movement infrastructure.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Visa will be using Circle Internet’s (CRCL) USD Coin (USDC) and Euro-backed EURC (EURC) stablecoins for the pilot. This announcement comes alongside news that Circle and the Deutsche Börse Group have also partnered to integrate EURC and USDC into the company’s financial market infrastructure.
Circle’s stock was up more than 2% in pre-market trade and was among the top trending tickers on Stocktwits at the time of writing. Retail sentiment around the stablecoin issuer on the platform moved higher within ‘bullish’ territory over the past day. Meanwhile, retail sentiment around USDC and EURC remained in ‘neutral’ territory. USDC’s current market capitalization stands at $73 billion, trailing Tether’s USDT, which has a market value of $174 billion, according to DefiLlama data.
Read also: Bitcoin Pulls Back To $112K Ahead Of Potential US Government Shutdown
For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.<