Visa Direct Stablecoin Pilot Launches with MVB Financial and Velocity Partnership

A partnership between MVB Financial and Velocity has launched a pilot program for stablecoin payments using the Visa Direct network. The pilot, which began on September 9, 2026, allows MVB to fund and settle push-to-card payouts with stablecoins, such as USDC.

The existing endpoints of the Visa Direct network remain intact, but the back-end plumbing has shifted to a faster, programmable settlement layer using stablecoin rails. This means that businesses can pre-position liquidity, settle obligations, and deploy capital more efficiently.

According to the source, three forces converged in 2026 to make this pilot inevitable: regulatory clarity provided by the GENIUS Act, growing demand from enterprise companies for crypto payments, and Visa's expansion of its crypto settlement capabilities. The pilot is expected to bridge the gap between on-chain liquidity and traditional payment endpoints.

The benefits of stablecoin payments include faster settlement cycles and reduced costs compared to traditional FX and wires. Cross-border stablecoin payments can settle in seconds to minutes, reducing working capital requirements for businesses.