Visa Joins Circle's Arc L1 as Founding Validator
Visa has made a significant shift in its approach to blockchain infrastructure by joining Circle's Arc L1 as a founding validator, alongside other institutional heavyweights like BlackRock and DTCC.
This move marks a major change from Visa's previous role of simply using blockchain infrastructure for payment rails to now operating it directly. By becoming a core operator of the network, Visa is helping to secure the underlying infrastructure.
The payment giant's stablecoin settlement volume has grown rapidly over the past year, reaching an annualized $20 billion in September 2026, up from just $3.5 billion in November 2025. This growth confirms that Visa's strategy has moved from pilot programs to production-scale utility in under a year.
Visa's current approach relies on a dual-chain strategy, separating production settlement from institutional validation. The Arc L1 blockchain is designed specifically for financial markets and agentic AI economic activity, providing the performance, predictability, and reliable access to liquidity needed for real-time settlement at a global scale.