The future of stablecoins according to Visa
At the Visa Acceptance Forum 2026, Visa presented its vision of the stablecoin market: the future will be hybrid. Not a speculative object, nor a radical break with existing networks: traditional finance and on-chain finance will coexist, and value will be created by the players capable of orchestrating the flows between these two worlds.
This is the purpose of the initiatives presented:
- the use of stablecoin balances via cards,
- settlement in stablecoins between payment actors,
- the extension of Visa Direct to on-chain wallets,
- and more broadly, the ability to manage the complexity between multiple currencies, multiple stablecoins and multiple blockchains.
In other words, Visa validates a simple idea: the use of stablecoins is diversifying.
A clear business need: to connect usable FIat and EMT
The European market is entering a new phase. Even though stablecoins are still largely dominated by trading and arbitrage uses, a new underlying dynamic is developing: their use for utilitarian purposes, such as B2B settlement, cash management or the automation of financial flows.
In this context, businesses need :
- seamless access to a credible EMT,
- from a partner capable of managing the FIAT layer,
- of a suitable frame for on-ramp and off-ramp use,
- of a simple integration into their career paths.
But how can we enable customers, platforms or partners to properly access usable EMTs, within a compliant and industrializable framework?
Access to stablecoins: the real issue
The answer to the question “Should you issue your own EMT?” is not necessarily yes. Issuing a token is a complex, costly, and demanding project from a prudential, technical, and operational standpoint. It’s not a matter to be taken lightly, nor should it be artificially accelerated.
This is also Visa’s vision: in the current phase of the market, value lies not primarily in the issuance of tokens, but in the ability to make EMTs truly accessible and usable in compliant payment flows.
The first step, therefore, is to establish FIAT → EMT gateways to already established EMTs, relying on strong partners. This approach allows for :
- and to position itself where demand is already being created.
- to respond quickly to a specific need,
- to limit the initial complexity,
- to learn the market operationally,
- to build a value proposition that is immediately understandable,
Visa’s vision aligned with the CentralPay approach
Our analyses show that the European market is entering a new phase. Stablecoins are still largely dominated by trading and arbitrage uses, but the underlying dynamic is moving towards… The Visa Acceptance Forum reinforces a very operational conviction: connecting on-chain assets to real-world journeys, existing payment methods, settlement flows, and concrete economic uses takes precedence over token issuance.
This is precisely the purpose of the offering we are developing at CentralPay. Our priority is to offer a simple, compliant and ready-to-integrate FIAT ↔ stablecoin rail, enabling European CASPs and Web3 platforms to externalize their FIAT layer, secure their on-ramp and off-ramp journeys, and convert euro flows to EURC and USDC, supported by Circle‘s expertise, within a framework aligned with MiCA.
Like Visa, we believe in the potential of euro EMTs and their future role in the programmable economy. Therefore, for those looking to structure their euro flows to stablecoins now within a secure and scalable framework:
