Visa Expands Stablecoin Payments With Western Union’s USDPT Integration

Visa has expanded its stablecoin settlement capabilities by adding Western Union’s USDPT, a U.S. dollar-backed digital asset issued by Anchorage Digital Bank. The integration gives eligible Visa partners another option for settling their obligations through VisaNet, marking the first Anchorage-issued stablecoin supported under the partnership.

Visa integrates Western Union’s USDPT into its settlement network

Under the agreement, Visa and eligible partners can use USDPT as a settlement asset for payments owed through VisaNet. The collaboration initially covers Western Union’s stablecoin, while also establishing a framework to explore support for additional tokens issued by Anchorage Digital in the future.

Dan Roesbery, Visa’s vice president of global crypto partnerships and go-to-market, said the company aims to provide its partners with greater flexibility in settling transactions.

He explained that supporting USDPT as a native settlement asset through Anchorage gives partners another reliable, institution-grade settlement option.

For Anchorage Digital, the partnership advances its strategy of operating as a settlement bank for stablecoins. The company aims to bring together stablecoin issuance, custody services and the infrastructure required to facilitate digital asset transfers between financial institutions.

What is Western Union’s USDPT stablecoin?

Western Union introduced USDPT on May 4 as a dollar-backed digital asset designed to support payments across its global network. Issued by Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., the stablecoin operates on the Solana blockchain.

The company identified several intended applications, including treasury operations, agent settlements, consumer payments and access to digital asset exchanges. USDPT is also expected to support Western Union’s Digital Asset Network, which aims to connect cryptocurrency exchanges with its existing payout infrastructure.

According to Anchorage, traditional cross-border payment systems often require businesses to maintain funds in destination accounts before transactions are completed. These prefunded balances tie up working capital across different markets, particularly when banking hours and time zones create settlement delays.

By introducing USDPT, the companies aim to enable continuous, round-the-clock settlement while reducing dependence on these prefunded accounts. The arrangement could also streamline reconciliation and reduce reliance on manual processes and traditional batch-based payment systems.

However, neither company has announced specific reductions in remittance fees or cash-out charges resulting from the Visa integration. The expected efficiencies relate primarily to liquidity management and settlement operations, with no published figures indicating potential savings for individual customers.

Visa expands its stablecoin settlement infrastructure

The USDPT integration comes as Visa continues to expand its stablecoin settlement network. During its October 27 earnings call, the company disclosed that its stablecoin settlement activity had exceeded a $25 billion annualized run rate, representing a tenfold increase from the previous year.

Visa CEO Ryan McInerney said the company's settlement infrastructure supported 10 blockchain networks across all five geographic regions. Meanwhile, more than 225 stablecoin-linked card programs were operational, covering approximately 5 million cards in over 50 countries.

The $25 billion figure represents an annualized settlement pace rather than the total volume processed during fiscal 2026. It also does not indicate how much activity is specifically attributable to USDPT.

On November 10, Visa expanded its settlement infrastructure further through an integration with the Monad blockchain, providing participating card issuers and merchant payment processors with another network for settling obligations. However, the Monad Foundation did not specify which stablecoins would support these transactions.

In a separate pilot with Lloyds Banking Group, Visa also settled $750,000 in obligations over seven days, receiving the funds in the United States in less than an hour. The pilot included transfers conducted over weekends.

Western Union expands USDPT access through Stablecard

Western Union has also been developing consumer-facing applications for USDPT. On August 4, the company introduced Stablecard in partnership with Rain, combining a USDPT wallet with a Visa-linked payment card across 37 markets.

The product allows eligible customers to receive remittances, hold dollar-denominated balances and make purchases through Visa's merchant network or withdraw cash from supported ATMs.

Western Union also confirmed that users could transfer USDPT between compatible wallets and exchanges, while adding their Stablecard to Apple Pay and Google Pay.

The company designed the product to serve remittance recipients and consumers seeking to retain the value of their funds in dollars before spending them online or in physical stores.

USDPT is fully backed by reserves and redeemable at a one-to-one ratio against the U.S. dollar. Western Union has also outlined plans to expand Stablecard availability to more than 60 markets by the end of 2026.

Visa and Western Union bring stablecoin settlement closer to mainstream payments

Visa's integration of USDPT highlights how stablecoins are increasingly being positioned as financial infrastructure rather than simply digital assets traded on cryptocurrency markets. By connecting institutional settlement, cross-border liquidity management and consumer payment products, the partnership demonstrates how stablecoins could serve different stages of the global payments process.

More importantly, the collaboration connects Western Union's established remittance network with Visa's extensive payment infrastructure, potentially creating a more direct relationship between digital dollar settlement and everyday financial transactions. However, the broader impact will depend on adoption by financial partners, regulatory requirements and the ability to translate operational efficiencies into tangible benefits for customers. The key question is whether these integrations will eventually reduce the cost and complexity of international payments, rather than simply introduce a faster settlement mechanism behind existing services.