• Visa Inc. launched its Stablecoins Advisory Practice on December 15, 2025, through Visa Consulting & Analytics, aiming to guide banks, fintechs, and businesses in stablecoin strategy and implementation.
  • The practice already serves dozens of clients, including Navy Federal Credit Union and Pathward (CASH), with use cases like cross-border payments to volatile-currency countries and B2B transactions.
  • This move builds on Visa's existing stablecoin-linked card programs in over 40 countries and $3.5 billion in annualized stablecoin settlement volume, positioning it to bridge traditional and blockchain payments.

A Strategic Push into Stablecoin Consulting

Visa Inc. has formally entered the stablecoin advisory arena, launching its Stablecoins Advisory Practice on December 15, 2025, through its Visa Consulting & Analytics division. According to people familiar with the matter, the initiative is designed to assist financial institutions and businesses with everything from stablecoin strategy and technology to operations and implementation, reflecting a calculated bet on the growing convergence of traditional finance and digital assets. The practice is already serving dozens of clients, with sources citing early adopters like Navy Federal Credit Union, VyStar, and Pathward, focusing on practical applications such as cross-border payments to countries with volatile currencies and streamlining B2B transactions.

Carl Rutstein, global head of Visa Consulting and Analytics, is leading the new practice, emphasizing in internal discussions that client interest in stablecoins has surged recently, with Visa anticipating growth to hundreds of clients in the coming months. "We're seeing a real shift where institutions want to leverage stablecoins for efficiency gains, not just speculation," Rutstein noted, according to a paraphrased statement from a recent briefing. Efforts to expand the practice have gained momentum amid a stablecoin market cap that has surpassed $250 billion, up 60 times since 2020, providing a fertile ground for Visa's expertise in payments modernization.

Regulatory Tailwinds and Market Dynamics

The launch comes at a pivotal time, with the U.S. GENIUS Act, signed by President Trump in July 2025, offering regulatory clarity by mandating 1:1 backing of stablecoins with high-quality liquid assets like cash and U.S. Treasuries with maturities of 93 days or less. This has reduced uncertainty for banks and fintechs, making them more open to Visa's advisory services. In contrast, the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation imposes stricter rules, such as requiring 30-60% of reserves to be held in bank deposits, creating a complex landscape that Visa aims to navigate for its clients.

Mark Nelsen, head of product for commercial solutions at Visa, has been driving related pilots, including a stablecoin prefunding initiative via Visa Direct announced at SIBOS 2025, which tests cutting reserves by settling transactions instantly on blockchains. This could free up billions in liquidity for multinationals that currently hold millions in dormant local balances. "Without such innovations, companies face higher costs and slower settlements in cross-border operations," Nelsen said in a recent interview, though Visa declined to comment further on specific client deals when reached for this article.

Implications and Future Trajectory

In the short term, Visa plans to expand pilots with banks and remittance firms in 2026, leveraging its existing stablecoin-linked card programs in over 40 countries. Analysts suggest that stablecoin revenues could rise by $8 billion by 2027, driven by supply growth that may offset potential declines in interest rates, with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) forecast to drop by 200 basis points. However, some industry observers caution that not all clients may find a customer need post-advisory, highlighting the nascent stage of adoption.

Looking ahead, Visa's move positions it to capitalize on the stablecoin boom while competing with peers like PayPal (PYPL) and Mastercard (MA), which have also enhanced their stablecoin capabilities post-GENIUS Act. The practice represents a natural extension of Visa's 2023 pilot with USDC settlement and recent cross-border testing, aiming to prove that traditional and blockchain payments can coexist. As one fintech executive put it, "Visa is betting big on being the bridge in this space, and their advisory push could accelerate institutional adoption if executed well."

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the stablecoin market cap; it has been updated to reflect the current figure of over $250 billion.