Visa Deepens Stablecoin Push Through Zero Hash Partnership

Visa is stepping up its stablecoin strategy by extending Visa Direct, its real-time payments network, to support stablecoin-funded prefunding, payouts and direct wallet-to-wallet transfers. The company is partnering with Zero Hash, which provides backend infrastructure for stablecoin settlement and liquidity. Visa says the tie-up is aimed at giving Visa Direct users a faster and lower-cost way to move funds, especially for cross-border transactions. At a product level, Visa is effectively adding stablecoin settlement on top of Visa Direct's existing payment rails. That allows certain cross-border transfers and payouts to settle via stablecoins rather than relying exclusively on traditional correspondent banking routes. Zero Hash supplies the underlying settlement "plumbing", handling stablecoin settlement while supporting liquidity and transaction speed for payment firms integrating into the network. The move follows a string of initiatives since late 2025. In January 2026, Visa partnered with BVNK, building on an earlier Visa Ventures investment, to enable Visa Direct customers to fund payouts with stablecoins and deliver funds directly to recipients' digital wallets. On July 16, 2026, Visa introduced the Visa Stablecoin Platform (VSP), positioned as an end-to-end environment for institutions to mint, move and manage stablecoins using Visa's compliance and risk-management tooling. VSP initially supports Open USD (OUSD) and includes wallet infrastructure with mint-and-burn functionality. Visa Direct already processes about $1.7 trillion in real-time transaction volume across a network connecting more than 18 billion endpoints. By adding stablecoin settlement, Visa is targeting use cases that have often been uneconomical through legacy rails, including gig-worker payouts, creator remittances and B2B transfers. These segments tend to be fee-sensitive, require speed, and frequently involve recipients without strong access to traditional banking. For crypto markets, the expansion could translate into incremental stablecoin demand. Institutions using VSP or stablecoin prefunding on Visa Direct may generate organic usage for supported tokens. Visa's decision to include OUSD as the initial supported stablecoin on VSP is a key datapoint, as platform-level backing from Visa could lift circulation. Competition is also intensifying. Mastercard has been expanding its crypto efforts, and Stripe has acquired Bridge to bolster stablecoin capabilities. Visa's approach stands out by embedding stablecoins into infrastructure with existing reach across 18 billion endpoints. Regulatory scrutiny remains a major variable. Stablecoin rules are still evolving across jurisdictions, and a platform of Visa's scale is likely to attract heightened oversight. Which stablecoins Visa chooses to support—and which it leaves out—could carry significant market implications. Zero Hash's role is also drawing attention among investors focused on the infrastructure layer. The firm is positioning itself as a critical service provider for institutions entering stablecoins, combining regulatory compliance support with settlement speed and liquidity management.