Visa Stablecoin Card Payments Surge Nearly 200 Percent Year Over Year

Visa has reported a significant surge in stablecoin-linked card payments, with a nearly 200% increase year over year. The payment volume across its over 160 consumer and business programs has seen substantial growth, though the exact dollar value remains undisclosed. Business and commercial card programs contributed about 17% of this volume in fiscal 2026 year-to-date, highlighting the expanding role of stablecoins in corporate financial operations.

Visa's stablecoin settlement activity has also reached a $20 billion annualized run rate, marking a more than 15-fold increase from the previous year. The company's stablecoin-linked cards enable customers to spend value held in stablecoins while using Visa's existing payment infrastructure. Merchants continue to receive payments through normal card rails, ensuring a seamless transition for traditional commerce.

According to Allium, stablecoin payment volume for the first eight months of 2026 ranged between $401 billion and $527 billion, reflecting a 42% to 63% growth from the same period last year. Business-to-business transactions formed the largest payment lane, with an estimated $137 billion to $153 billion, followed by service-fee payments, payroll, and supplier payments.

Visa has been actively building infrastructure to support these figures. In July, it introduced the Visa Stablecoin Platform, an enterprise product for banks, fintechs, and crypto businesses. In September, Visa partnered with Credit Coop to introduce onchain lending infrastructure, allowing participating card programs to borrow stablecoins against daily settlement obligations. This system has reportedly helped some programs reduce borrowing costs by up to 30%.

The growing use of stablecoins in routine corporate payment flows signals a shift in the competitive landscape. The focus is now on which settlement and payout rails businesses will use for stablecoin transactions. Visa has not yet announced a launch date for a settlement system that would let daily settlement files trigger a stablecoin loan matching the exact amount a card program owes.