Visa Unveils Stablecoin Platform With Open USD Support
Visa has launched a new enterprise platform that enables financial institutions to manage stablecoins through a single infrastructure, with Open USD set to become its first supported digital asset.
Visa is expanding its push into blockchain-based payments with the launch of the Visa Stablecoin Platform (VSP), a new enterprise solution designed to help banks, fintech firms, and crypto companies integrate stablecoin capabilities into their existing financial operations.
Announced on July 16, the platform brings together stablecoin issuance, transfers, treasury management, and wallet infrastructure within a Visa-managed environment, aiming to simplify adoption for institutions exploring digital assets.
Visa Builds an Institutional Gateway for Stablecoins
According to Visa, the new platform provides clients with a unified framework for minting, transferring, managing, and redeeming stablecoins while leveraging the company’s established payment network and security infrastructure.
The platform will debut with Open USD (OUSD), a stablecoin expected to launch later this year. Industry observers view OUSD as a potential challenger to Circle’s USDC, currently the dominant U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin.
Visa already supports other stablecoins across its ecosystem, including USDC and Paxos’ USDG, making the new platform an extension of its broader digital asset strategy rather than a standalone initiative.
Jack Forestell, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Visa, said the company is focused on reducing the operational complexity that institutions face when adopting blockchain-based payments.
“Stablecoins are opening up a new layer of programmable money, but for most institutions the hard part isn’t the concept, it’s the operational reality. With the Visa Stablecoin Platform, we’re giving our clients a single place to mint, move and manage stablecoin operations with the controls, security and network reach they already expect from Visa.”
Open USD Integration Takes Center Stage
A core component of the platform is its native integration with the Open Standard ecosystem, allowing institutions to access Open USD directly through Visa.
Businesses using the platform will be able to:
- Mint and redeem OUSD
- Transfer stablecoins onchain
- Manage treasury and settlement workflows
- Bring fiat liquidity onto blockchain networks
The Open Standard initiative was introduced in June by a coalition of more than 140 companies, including Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, BlackRock, and Coinbase. The project aims to create an open stablecoin ecosystem where participating businesses can mint and redeem Open USD without fees or volume restrictions, while sharing a significant portion of reserve-generated earnings.
Wallet Infrastructure and Enterprise Security
Beyond stablecoin access, Visa has bundled wallet infrastructure and operational controls into the platform to support enterprise-grade treasury and payment operations.
Among the platform’s key capabilities are:
- Integrated onchain wallet infrastructure for institutional use cases
- Direct interoperability with Visa’s payment network
- Treasury and settlement integration for existing Visa clients
- Dual-control approvals for sensitive transactions
- Comprehensive audit logs
- Wallet-as-a-Service features, including secure passkeys and transfer allow lists
These features are designed to provide financial institutions with the governance, security, and compliance controls typically expected in traditional financial systems while enabling blockchain operations.
Visa said the Stablecoin Platform is also interoperable with its existing stablecoin services, including stablecoin settlement, stablecoin-linked payment cards, and stablecoin money movement, creating what it describes as a comprehensive stack for institutional blockchain adoption.
The platform is currently available in beta to a limited group of clients as Visa gathers feedback before expanding broader market access.
Visa Sees Stablecoins Powering AI-Driven Micropayments
The launch comes alongside new research published by Visa and blockchain analytics firm Artemis, which explores how stablecoins could support the emerging agentic economy, where AI agents independently initiate and complete financial transactions.
Released on July 14, the report, Agentic Payments from the Ground Up, argues that traditional card networks and stablecoins will serve complementary roles rather than competing directly.
According to the report, existing card infrastructure is expected to remain the preferred option for larger consumer purchases, while stablecoins are better suited for machine-native micropayments that require continuous, low-cost transactions between autonomous software agents.
The report states:
“…this won’t come down to a choice between cards and stablecoins. Both will have a place. Cards are a good fit for the proxy and macro purchases that happen inside today’s merchant networks. Stablecoins suit the machine-native micropayments.”
Visa expects future payment systems to adopt hybrid transaction flows, allowing AI-powered applications to use both traditional payment rails and blockchain-based stablecoins depending on the type and size of each transaction.
As financial institutions continue exploring blockchain infrastructure, Visa’s latest platform signals that stablecoins are increasingly moving beyond experimentation toward enterprise-scale deployment, with payment providers positioning themselves to support both conventional finance and emerging onchain payment networks.
Learn More with CryptoPulse.News
- What Are Stablecoins and Their Role in Modern Finance
- Best Cryptocurrency Wallets for Beginners
- Beginner’s Guide to Cryptocurrency
