Visa and Mastercard launch stablecoin funding routes for business payments

Visa and Mastercard announced commercial stablecoin funding routes on Oct. 15 that give eligible businesses new ways to fund payments. The routes change how businesses supply money at the start of a payment. Mastercard's bank-payout route allows a business to use a stablecoin balance while the recipient receives local currency in a bank account. The funding choice therefore does not require the recipient to use crypto.

Visa identified payments infrastructure provider Inyo Global as the first enabler to put Visa Direct's stablecoin prefunding capability into commercial production. The offering serves eligible Visa Direct clients and partners. Inyo serves money transmitters, fintechs, banks and payment businesses. Visa said Inyo's integration lets those businesses prefund cross-border payouts with USDC in near real time, rather than relying solely on traditional funding windows. Inyo says the funding option operates around the clock through the same APIs Inyo's customers already use.

Mastercard and stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK said Mastercard Global Money Platform is available now through BVNK. The platform combines fiat and stablecoin accounts, conversion and payout capabilities. Banks, fintechs and enterprises can embed these capabilities in their own products or use the capabilities for treasury and payments. Mastercard Move supplies the local-bank payout connection. Users can draw on stablecoin balances to make payments in recipients' local currencies, combining funding and conversion with conventional bank delivery.

Businesses can contract directly with BVNK and use BVNK's portal or API for treasury and payouts. BVNK's product documentation says businesses can also embed accounts and payments under their own brands through an API, with BVNK managing customer onboarding. BVNK names USDC and OUSD among the stablecoins accessible through the integration. The companies said Nuvei and Marqeta will be among the first to integrate the platform as part of the planned rollout.

Mastercard's launch announcement says Mastercard expects payout coverage to expand to more than 40 currencies across more than 200 countries and territories in 2027. That coverage remains an expansion target. The launch announcements disclose no measured stablecoin payment volume or realized fee savings for these routes. Participating businesses immediately gain another way to fund payments that can ultimately reach conventional bank accounts.