Visa Activates Stablecoin Settlement Across 18 Billion Endpoints Via Zero Hash

Visa has officially activated stablecoin settlement capabilities across its Visa Direct platform, connecting to over 18 billion endpoints in 195 countries and territories. This integration with Zero Hash technology enables eligible clients to pre-fund accounts and execute payouts in stablecoins, with USDC serving as the primary settlement asset.

The move marks a significant shift towards mainstream adoption of stablecoins for cross-border payments, bypassing traditional correspondent banking methods that come with high costs and delays. According to the World Bank, the average cost of sending a $200 remittance is 6.35%, while stablecoin rails can reduce this cost below 1%.

Edward Woodford, Founder and CEO of Zero Hash, emphasized that 'unlocking stablecoin use cases at the core network level further accelerates adoption globally.' Mark Nelsen, Global Head of Product at Visa, noted that 'stablecoins are creating new opportunities to make money movement faster and more flexible, particularly for cross-border use cases.'

The integration also highlights the growing partnership model between traditional financial networks and crypto-native infrastructure providers. Zero Hash has established itself as a key player in this space, with existing relationships with major financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley.