Key Notes
- Visa's stablecoin settlement network now reaches CEMEA through Aquanow partnership, processing $2.5B monthly.
- The collaboration enables 24/7 instant settlements using USDC, eliminating traditional banking delays for cross-border transactions.
- Stablecoin market surpasses $305B in 2025 as major payment networks adopt blockchain rails for institutional flows.
Visa Inc. announced a partnership with crypto fintech company Aquanow on November 27 to extend stablecoin settlement options across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMA).
According to the announcement , the deal links Visa’s payment network to Aquanow’s digital asset infrastructure, enabling issuers and acquirers to use stablecoins such as USDC USDC $1.00 24h volatility: 0.0% Market cap: $76.03 B Vol. 24h: $4.78 B for transactions. This setup will cut costs and speed up processes for financial institutions handling cross-border flows.
Aquanow x Visa – Stablecoins Enter The Financial Mainstream. @Visa has selected @Aquanow to expand stablecoin settlement across CEMEA, enabling issuers and acquirers to settle with approved stablecoins like USDC.
Faster cycles. Lower friction. 365-day settlement.
Pilot →… pic.twitter.com/twyDRi4cSg
— Aquanow (@aquanow) November 26, 2025
What Does Visa’s New Partnership Mean?
The CEMEA rollout meets demand for round-the-clock settlements without traditional bank delays. Visa piloted USDC settlements in 2023, as announced at the end of 2020, and is now at a $2.5 billion annualized monthly run rate, according to the press release.
Godfrey Sullivan, Visa’s CEMEA product head, called it a step to update payment rails in the region. Aquanow CEO Phil Sham noted the combo brings internet-speed transparency to institutional flows with stablecoin technology.
CEO of Aquanow, Phil Sham, and Head of product and solutions of Visa CEMEA, Godfrey Sullivan. Source: Visa
Visa and Stablecoins Are Having Significant Advances in 2025
Visa Inc. ramped up stablecoin efforts in 2025. In September, it started a prefund pilot via Visa Direct for cross-border business payments using stablecoins. Then, in November, it brought pilots for fiat-to-stablecoin payouts to creators and gig workers, plus added support for USDG, PYUSD , EURC, Stellar XLM $0.25 24h volatility: 2.8% Market cap: $8.20 B Vol. 24h: $180.24 M , and Avalanche AVAX $15.10 24h volatility: 4.3% Market cap: $6.48 B Vol. 24h: $466.72 M .
Also, the stablecoin supply topped $300 billion in 2025 and is currently close to $305 billion despite the dip in the crypto market, according to DefiLlama . USDT USDT $1.00 24h volatility: 0.0% Market cap: $184.56 B Vol. 24h: $80.49 B and USDC hold the majority of the market, with 60% and 25% dominance, respectively. Growth stems from regulatory nods such as the GENIUS Act and MiCA , as well as demand for quick transfers in emerging markets.
Graph of total market cap for stablecoins. Source: DefiLlama
Traditional financial firms gain from lower friction in a region with high cross-border volume. Stablecoins now rival parts of Visa’s transaction volume, reaching $6 trillion in Q1 2025 alone . This fits with Visa’s push into blockchain technologies and the tendency that began in 2020 and continues to this day.
