Visa launches ‘stablecoins advisory practice’ to help banks and businesses build strategies

Payments giant Visa is expanding its push into stablecoins with the launch of a new advisory practice aimed at helping banks, fintechs, merchants, and enterprises evaluate and implement stablecoin strategies.

The “stablecoins advisory practice,” housed within Visa Consulting & Analytics, will offer training, market analysis, strategy development, use-case sizing, and technical support for organizations assessing how stablecoins could fit into their products or operations, Visa said Monday.

The launch comes as the stablecoin market continues to grow, with total market capitalization now exceeding $300 billion, and as Visa’s own stablecoin settlement activity has reached a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of Nov. 30.

“Having a comprehensive stablecoins strategy is critical in today’s digital landscape,” said Carl Rutstein, global head of Visa Consulting & Analytics. “We are proud to help our clients stay agile and competitive as this space evolves at an unprecedented pace.”

Visa said early clients of the advisory service include Navy Federal Credit Union, Pathward, and VyStar Credit Union. Navy Federal is evaluating how stablecoins could fit into its broader payments strategy for its roughly 15 million members worldwide, according to a statement from the credit union’s senior vice president, Matt Freeman. Pathward president Anthony Sharett said the bank received “impressive work, insights, and actionable recommendations” as one of the first participants.

Visa’s stablecoin initiatives

The new practice builds on Visa’s broader stablecoin efforts. In 2023, Visa piloted stablecoin settlement using Circle’s USDC and now supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked card issuing programs across over 40 countries. Visa is also testing stablecoin-based cross-border payouts through Visa Direct, allowing qualified businesses to pre-fund transfers and send funds directly to users’ stablecoin wallets.

Stablecoins, often described as crypto’s first real “killer app,” have seen rapid adoption over the past year as consumers and institutions increasingly use them for payments, trading, and remittances.

Traditional finance firms are also moving deeper into the space. Banks such as JPMorgan are using tokenized deposits for faster intraday and cross-border settlements, while payments companies like Visa and Stripe are integrating stablecoins to enable cheaper and faster money movement.

Regulatory clarity has added momentum. The GENIUS Act, signed into law in July, established a federal framework for issuing and overseeing stablecoins in the U.S., giving banks and fintechs more confidence to expand stablecoin use cases.

Analysts see further upside ahead. Citi has projected the stablecoin market could reach $1.9 trillion by 2030 in a base scenario, or up to $4 trillion in a more bullish case, while Standard Chartered estimates the market could grow to $2 trillion by 2028.