Visa Assembles Stablecoin Infrastructure in Asia through Partnerships
Visa is quietly building a multi-layered stablecoin infrastructure in Asia through partnerships with Dunamu and Shinhan Financial Group.
The latest development came on August 27-28, 2026, when Dunamu, operator of Korea's dominant exchange Upbit, announced a partnership with Visa at the company's San Francisco headquarters.
This move aligns with a broader regional strategy. On August 26, 2026, Visa signed a memorandum of understanding with Shinhan Financial Group, a $100 billion AUM institution and the first of Korea's 'Big Five' to adopt Visa's enterprise stablecoin platform.
The inclusion of OUSD (a Solana-based stablecoin) in Dunamu discussions is particularly telling. With zero mint or redeem fees, Visa signals a preference for institutional-grade, low-friction rails.
Korea serves as an ideal testbed for these ambitions. Upbit held a 71.6% market share in H1 2025 and expanded that dominance through H1 2026. The scale is significant, with over 16 million crypto users in the country.