Visa Expands Stablecoin Settlement to 9 Blockchains as Volume Hits $7 Billion

Visa’s stablecoin settlement network is moving beyond pilot-scale experimentation, with the payments giant expanding its infrastructure to support nine blockchains—an upgrade that underscores how quickly digital-asset rails are being woven into mainstream payments. Industry observers say the rollout signals a shift toward a true ‘multi-chain’ strategy, aimed at meeting partner demand across different cost, speed, and compliance requirements.

According to a recent report from MEXC Ventures, Visa has broadened its stablecoin settlement support beyond existing integrations such as Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), and Stellar, adding Base, Polygon (POL), Arc, Canton, and Tempo. The report estimates Visa’s annualized stablecoin settlement volume at roughly $7 billion, up about 50% quarter-over-quarter, alongside a growing ecosystem of more than 130 USDC (USDC)-linked card programs operating in over 50 countries.

Market participants interpret the expansion as more than a simple addition of networks. Instead, it reflects a recognition that payment providers and fintech partners increasingly do not want to be tied to a single chain’s fee structure, throughput limits, or regulatory posture. Different blockchains offer distinct trade-offs—lower fees versus stronger privacy, faster finality versus more conservative compliance features—making a one-chain settlement model harder to scale as stablecoin use broadens.

Visa’s approach, as framed by MEXC Ventures, is to act as a ‘connector’ rather than a competitor within the blockchain ecosystem: a unified settlement layer that allows partners to select the most suitable network for a given use case without rebuilding their back-end every time conditions change. That design goal is especially relevant as enterprises weigh blockchain-based settlement not as a speculative bet, but as an operational tool to streamline cross-border payments, treasury movement, and card-linked flows.

The newly supported chains each bring specific strengths. Base and Polygon (POL) are widely associated with low transaction costs and fast processing, characteristics that can make on-chain settlement more viable for consumer payments, small-value remittances, and fintech product integration—areas where high gas fees have historically hindered adoption. Canton, by contrast, is positioned around institution-grade privacy and compliance, attributes that appeal to regulated financial institutions and enterprise payment workflows that must operate within strict governance frameworks. Arc and Tempo were described as complementary additions designed to improve liquidity movement and optimize payment routing, reinforcing the overall multi-network architecture.

The scale of Visa’s reported settlement volume remains modest compared with the global card payments market. Still, the growth rate—roughly 50% quarter-over-quarter on an annualized basis—suggests stablecoin settlement is translating into real commercial demand rather than remaining confined to limited trials. The report points to increasing momentum in parts of Latin America, Europe, and Asia, where demand for dollar-denominated stablecoins often rises alongside currency volatility, limited access to dollar banking, or high FX costs.

Another data point drawing attention is the continued broadening of access to USDC settlement across the U.S. banking ecosystem. Analysts view this as a signal that traditional institutions are beginning to treat blockchain-based settlement as an efficiency layer—an add-on that can reduce friction and improve speed—rather than a wholesale replacement for existing payment systems. The presence of more than 130 USDC-linked card programs, as cited in the report, further indicates that stablecoin-powered payment features are permeating a wider range of financial and consumer services.

Strategically, Visa’s push does not appear aimed at picking winners among blockchains. Instead, it emphasizes reducing technical and operational friction for partners—shielding merchants, fintechs, and financial institutions from the complexity of interacting with multiple networks directly. By lowering integration costs and making network choice more modular, Visa is positioning itself to shape an emerging ‘multi-chain’ settlement standard, where interoperability becomes a competitive advantage in payments infrastructure.

Looking ahead, the market debate is likely to shift from stablecoin issuance growth to the practical reach of settlement networks—how broadly they can integrate, how reliably they can comply, and how easily partners can access them. MEXC Ventures highlighted two key variables: how quickly institutions embrace multi-chain settlement strategies, and how rapidly regulators deliver clearer rules across jurisdictions. Whether Visa’s integrated settlement framework becomes a de facto standard—and whether competing payment networks respond with comparable models—could help determine the medium-term direction of stablecoin payments worldwide.