Visa and ADI Foundation Explore Blockchain for Digital Payments

Visa has joined forces with the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation to explore how blockchain technology can integrate with its global payment network. The partnership, following the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation, aims to assess new digital payment and digital asset transaction systems. The focus will be on developing payment solutions, infrastructure, and digital finance services that combine Visa’s payment network with ADI’s distributed ledger technology.

Both companies will examine ways to make payment flows faster and more efficient while ensuring compatibility with existing electronic payment networks. ADI’s technology is designed to meet institutional requirements such as policy compliance, interoperability, and day-to-day operations. Visa’s senior vice president and global head of money movement, Vira Platonova, emphasized the evolving nature of money movement and the importance of trusted networks and interoperability.

The collaboration remains exploratory, with no specific product or commercial rollout announced. However, it follows a series of blockchain payment and settlement projects involving Visa this year. Earlier this month, Lloyds used USDC to settle $750,000 in payment obligations with Visa during a seven-day live pilot, completing the settlement in under an hour. Visa has also been expanding its stablecoin operations, reaching 160 programs by September and reporting an annualized stablecoin settlement rate of $20 billion.

For ADI Foundation, the partnership aligns with its mission to connect public and private sector institutions with blockchain infrastructure designed around regulatory and operational requirements. ADI Chain, the foundation’s institutional blockchain, is built for stablecoins and real-world assets in the Middle East and North Africa. The foundation aims to connect 1 billion people and institutions to the digital economy by 2030.