Visa Expands Stablecoin Settlement Capabilities Across CEMEA Through Aquanow Partnership
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Highlights
- Visa expanded its USDC stablecoin settlement capabilities to the CEMEA region through a partnership with Aquanow.
- The collaboration enables issuers and acquirers across CEMEA to settle transactions using approved stablecoins, including USDC.
- Visa’s stablecoin settlement volume has surpassed a USD 2.5 billion annualized run rate since its initial pilot.
Visa has announced an expansion of its stablecoin settlement capabilities across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), supported by a new integration with global digital assets platform Aquanow. The development marks the next step in Visa’s efforts to enhance settlement efficiency and broaden digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions in the region.
New Integration to Support USDC Settlement
As part of the partnership, Aquanow’s digital asset infrastructure will be integrated with Visa’s technology stack. This will allow Visa issuers and acquirers in the CEMEA region to settle transactions using approved stablecoins, including USD Coin (USDC). The combination of platforms is designed to reduce operational friction, settlement times, and associated costs.
Visa noted increasing interest among financial institutions for faster, cost-efficient cross-border settlement options. Stablecoin settlement provides a path to digitizing the movement of funds on a 365-day basis, improving operational flexibility for participating institutions.
Building on Visa’s Existing Stablecoin Settlement Activity
Visa began enabling settlement obligations in USDC in 2023, becoming one of the early global payment networks to do so. Since then, the company has seen stablecoin settlement volumes grow to exceed a USD 2.5 billion annualized run rate.
The integration with Aquanow expands this capability from pilot projects into broader regional availability. Visa stated that the collaboration is part of its ongoing strategy to modernize the back-end infrastructure that supports digital payments.
Comments From the Companies
According to Visa, the expansion aims to support institutions across CEMEA in accessing faster and simplified settlement solutions. The company highlighted the role of stablecoins in updating traditional settlement frameworks that rely on multiple intermediaries.
Aquanow emphasized that the collaboration leverages Visa’s global network and its own digital asset capabilities to provide institutions with new ways to engage with digital financial infrastructure. Aquanow operates technology that supports billions of dollars in monthly digital asset brokerage and payment transactions.
About Visa
Visa is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions across more than 200 countries and territories. The company’s mission focuses on enabling secure, convenient, and innovative payment experiences across consumer, commercial, and government networks.
About Aquanow
Aquanow is an institutional digital asset platform specializing in liquidity and infrastructure solutions. Established in 2018, the company supports banks, neobanks, brokerages, and payment companies worldwide. In the UAE, Aquanow ME FZE operates under Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.
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